The UnOrdinary Punch
by Starlight's Poet
Summary: One day, Saitama and Genos encounter a creature who can summon black holes. In its last breath following its defeat, it sends Saitama and Genos into a black hole. Thanks to Saitama's punch, they are instead transported to another world. One where everyone has a power, and is pretty much an asshole. At least he has hair again. One-Shot, crossover with uru-chan's "unORDINARY"


The world was constantly threatened by bizarre threats.

Man-made monsters. Extraterrestrial beings. Ancient life forms that predated humanity. Inter-dimensional monstrosities.

However, in the nation of Japan, there exists an organization who defends the world from such threats. They were founded years ago, when a young boy was threatened by a monster who attempted to kill him for such a petty reason and was saved by a mere pedestrian.

They were the Hero Association. Renown among the world for their skills and personnel, they employed the abilities of many incredible heroes. The best of the best, however, were the S-Rated Heroes. The strongest and most powerful. The elite.

One day, a threat emerged in Japan, attempting to swallow Japan whole with a black hole. No one knew where it came from or why, only that it's ultimate goal was to destroy Japan and strip it clean off the Earth. Already, several cities had begun feeling the damage as reports of black holes being opened came in all across the country. Most of it, however, was centered on the mainland, where the creature was supposedly sighted. Wanting to eliminate this creature, post haste, the Association sent one of its best. A rookie member, but still a powerful member.

"I could have handled this myself, Sensei."

"I know you could, but I got bored. Besides, I need to pay this bastard back for wrecking my apartment!"

Currently on route were two heroes. One was a young man, somewhere in his teens to early twenties, wearing jeans and a white tank top and messy blonde hair. His arms were composed purely of metal: thick and heavily armored that looked as if they could crush a man's skull with terrifying ease. Even his eyes looked dangerous, bearing yellow irises with black sclera. This was Genos, the newest addition to the S-Rank Heroes of the Association.

His companion, who he referred to as "Sensei," was a stark contrast. He looked rather plain, having a bald head that practically shined in the sun and a rather plain face. Whereas Genos wore casual clothes of sorts, this man wore a yellow jumpsuit with red gloves and boots, complete with a black belt with a silver buckle and a white cape. This man was Saitama, who as of a few weeks ago had been promoted as a B-Rank Hero.

The two were in hot pursuit of this mysterious new adversary, with Genos running at what could arguably be considered mach speed, in no small part to his mechanical body and the thrusters on his hands. Saitama, however, was keeping up on foot alone, though one would never suspect it with how uneven his movements were. It was almost as if the man was running rather casually.

"Eh?" Genos blinked in surprise, not slowing down in the least. "He destroyed the apartment?"

Saitama nodded, looking rather livid. "You bet your ass he did. It's nothing but rubble! I already talked with somebody at the Association and they said they'd fix it up, but dammit, that is not the point!"

"I see. In that case, all the more reason to fell this monster!"

In little time, they soon arrived to where the monster was reported. The surrounding area was heavily damaged: houses reduced to splinters and rubble. The street pavement torn from its foundations and bent like a carpet. Lamps had been torn out from the ground and lying on its sides. Overhead, a small black ball sat in the air, high in the sky. However, as Genos stared at it, he noticed that it was slowly, but surely, growing bigger with each passing moment.

"Sensei." he called out to Saitama. "That is a Black Hole forming up there."

Saitama looked up, finding the growing black hole and tilted his head. "Kind of small, innit?"

" _ **IT MAY BE SMALL NOW, HUMAN! BUT WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR, IT WILL BECOME THE SIZE OF THE SUN AND CONSUME THIS PUNY CONTINENT AND ITS OCEANS!**_ " a booming voice declared with malice. The air burned around the two heroes, immediately putting Genos on edge as a figure shimmered into existence. It was a true monster: its skin pitch black with red blotches stretched across his body, a bone-like tail swishing about behind it. Its arms were crossed, showing blades protruding out from its elbows and spikes running across its biceps. A red scar stretched across its chest while horns grew out of its face, which strangely lacked any define features, aside from a mouth that was bizarrely upside down. " _ **BEHOLD! I AM SHIGGURAH! SLAVE TO THE DIMENSION KING OF SPACE-TIME! I HAVE COME TO STRIP YOUR PLANET OF EVERYTHING, AND MAKE IT OUR OWN!**_ "

Genos glared at the monster, falling into a combative form. Pieces of his arms began to move about, shifting his hands into what looked like cannons. "If I were you," he said coldly. "I'd go back to where you came from and remove these black holes."

" _ **YOU DARE ORDER ME, INSIGNIFICANT INSECT**_!?" Shiggurah snarled. " _ **I COULD END YOUR EXISTENCE, HERE AND NOW! YOU SHOULD BE THANKFUL THAT I AM SPEAKING WITH YOU, INSTEAD OF REDUCING YOUR PITIFUL BODY TO NOTHINGNESS!**_ "

"Uh, hey." Saitama cut in, earning the creature's attention. "Not to be rude, but could you maybe shut up? I'm already in a bad mood after you destroyed my apartment."

If the creature possessed veins, Shiggurah demonstrated them as they throbbed angrily. Surely, if it had eyes, it would be glaring at Saitama intensely. " _ **Y-YOU! YOU DARE?!**_ " It moved for a moment, but then it stopped. " _ **HM?! ...WAIT. HUMAN. YOU LOOK FAMILIAR**_."

"Really?" Saitama cocked his head, folding his arms. "Sorry, but I don't think we've met. I think I would remember meeting a guy who could make black holes."

" _ **AN OUTLANDISH OUTFIT, A BALD HEAD...**_ " Shiggurah contemplated before it froze. " _ **...AH. I SEE NOW. MY MASTER HAS WARNED ME OF YOU, HUMAN! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO KILLED OUR COMRADE, VACCINE**_!"

"Vaccine?" the Caped Baldy asked, tilting his head. He contemplated about that name, and he eventually came to a conclusion. " _Oh_. Him."

Genos stared at Saitama in surprise. "You know who he is talking about, Sensei?"

"Yeah, kind of. I ran into this guy calling himself Vaccine Man. Said he was the personification of the earth's anger or something. Didn't really care to listen. Actually, I ran into him before I met you."

" _ **YOU FELLED HIM IN A SINGLE BLOW**_." Shiggurah remarked with a growl. " _ **I FAIL TO SEE HOW VACCINE COULD HAVE LOST TO SUCH A PUNY CREATURE. REGARDLESS, MY MASTER HAS OFFERED A GRACIOUS REWARD FOR THE HEAD OF THE MAN WHO KILLED OUR PRECIOUS COMRADE!**_ "

When Shiggurah stretched out its arms, Genos' eyes flared and bared his fangs. "You won't touch Sensei, you trash!" he roared as blue light danced inside his arms. In the next second, a powerful explosion erupted from Genos' arms, flying straight at Shiggurah, finding itself consumed in the resulting blast. Smoke and debris kicked into the air, fire burning all around the blast radius. Genos stared at the sight, keeping his cannons ready. "That blast had the power of at least twelve dozen tons of TNT." he said. "If it could survive that, it is surely Dragon Threat Level. Maybe even God..."

"... _ **PATHETIC**_."

Without warning, Genos found himself flung off his feet, sent flying straight into a pile of rubble that promptly exploded upon impact. Saitama stared in surprise before he looked back to find Shiggurah still standing, or floating or whatever you wanted to call it. Strangely, he could make out what appeared to be a thin ball around him, as if he was hiding inside a bubble.

" _ **I COMMAND THE VERY POWER OF REALITY, YOU FOOL!**_ " Shiggurah growled. " _ **NO FORCE ON THIS EARTH CAN DEFEAT ME!**_ "

"Huh, that right?" Saitama rolled his eyes before he tugged on his gloves. "Mind if I give it a shot, then? I do owe you a punch for wrecking my home."

" _ **AS IF I WOULD-!**_ " Before Shiggurah could finish its statement, Saitama vanished, reappearing right in front of the inter-dimensional being, catching it off guard. " _ **WHAT?! HOW-?!**_ "

 _"Consecutive Normal Punches."_

In an instant, a series of powerful, precise blows rained down upon the villain. Shiggurah didn't even have time to react before its body was subjected to such powerful attacks. The barrier around its body shattered like glass, and pieces of its body were blown apart, revealing spidery sinews of dark red flesh. The majority of its head was also blown off, revealing no brain, making Saitama curious as to how the guy could function.

" _ **I...IMPOSSIBLE...**_ " Shiggurah wheezed. " _ **H...HOW? HOW COULD YOU DESTROY...A BARRIER FORMED BY THE LAWS...OF REALITY?**_!"

"Dunno. Don't care." Saitama shrugged before he looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Genos! He's wide open!"

Shiggurah's eyes widened, looking past Saitama to where he had thrown his first opponent aside. The dust cleared, revealing Genos perfectly intact, and both arms raised and set into position. "Got it!" The cyborg nodded as he extended his arms out. The metal plates shifting as the energy ports flared with intensity.

Before Shiggurah could even attempt to protect itself again, Genos fired off another blast. This time, the creature could do nothing to protect itself. Saitama tilted his body to the side, letting the blast fly over his shoulder and then strike Shiggurah dead center. Saitama didn't even flinch, despite being within the blast radius of the resulting explosion. That was because Genos knew, of all people, that if anyone could withstand any sort of blast or strike, it would definitely be him. Nothing short of a cosmic power like an act of God would be able to strike down his teacher.

When the smoke cleared, his thoughts were proven true. Saitama stood there, his clothes slightly burned and torn up, but otherwise fine.

Shiggurah, on the other hand, was now missing the lower half of his body and an arm.

" _ **TH-THIS...CANNOT BE!**_ " Shiggurah hissed, barely able to speak. " _ **HOW...HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE...?! HOW COULD I...?!**_ "

Whatever he tried to say remained unsaid as the life finally left his eyes and crashed to the ground in a lifeless heap. "...well, that takes care of that." Saitama nodded. Dusting off his hands, Saitama looked over at Genos. "You okay there?"

"Fine, Sensei." Genos nodded as he walked over. Like Saitama, his clothes were slightly torn, but otherwise he wasn't missing any parts of pieces, which was an improvement. Usually, the bald hero was used to seeing him slightly damaged or ruined all to hell. "A little worse for wear, but fine." The Demon Cyborg looked at the corpse of Shiggurah, then put a hand to his ear. "Hero Association, this is Genos. Myself and B-Class Hero, Saitama have successfully eliminated the threat. Are there still reports of Black Holes being sighted around Japan?"

[No, Genos. There is no reports. It seems they've all just vanished.] the operator reported. [Good work, S-Class. Return to the Association for debriefing."

"Hai." Ending communications, Genos sighed. "Once again, I had to rely on your help, Sensei. I'm very sorry."

Saitama shook his head, waving a hand in dismissal. "Oh, it's fine." he assured his pupil. "Besides, I always wanted to try that combo. Anyway, let's head back and get some food. Dunno 'bout you, but I'm hungry!" Genos couldn't help but laugh. There went his master, always waving off a matter in favor of normalcy. Sometimes, he wondered if his master was better suited for a regular job rather than heroics. Then again, if he did that, they never would have met, and Genos would still be uncaring about the safety of others, in favor of his revenge above all else. "Onward and forward."

" _ **IF**_..."

The two suddenly stopped, turning around to find Shiggurah. Its body was still, but its head was craned, mouth moving.

 _ **"IF I...AM GOING TO DIE...!"**_

Suddenly, the air burned again as wind began to pour in behind them. Right before their eyes, a giant black sphere emerged above Shiggurah's body, pulling in everything: from the tiniest piece of debris to the largest piece of rubble.

 _ **"YOU ARE GOING DOWN WITH ME!"**_

"Impossible! He's created a black hole of this magnitude while near death?!" Genoa exclaimed.

"Seriously?! Why can't these guys just stay down? I'm hungry!" Complained an angry Saitama.

Within seconds, everything around them was being swallowed up. Any building left standing found itself crumbling to pieces and dragged inside. Even the concrete floor beneath them was being ripped away from the earth and ripped apart, disintegrating and reduced to nothingness inside the powerful vacuum. Saitama tried to pull back, but he found the pouring winds to be quite troublesome. He was about to turn around and try to outrun it that way, but when he turned, he found Genos digging his fingers into the earth, trying to stay in one place. From the look on his face, he was trying to outlast the duration of the black hole, but whatever Shiggurah had done made sure that wouldn't happen as it grew in size again. Saitama nearly tripped over his feet, but Genos was unable to hold out. The ground beneath him was torn away and found himself flailing in mid-air, dragged in.

"Genos!" Quickly, Saitama grabbed his arm and pulled back, keeping Genos away from being sucked in...

...until he tried to take a step back and tripped over his own damn feet, causing the both of them to be sucked in. With a twitching eyebrow and great annoyance, unwilling to allow something as meager as a black hole take his disciple away, he clenched his fist and reared it back, just as they were sucked in.

 _"Serious Series..."_

When the two heroes' forms vanished inside the darkness of the black hole, Saitama threw his punch forward.

 _"...Serious Punch!"_

Then everything turned to white.

* * *

 _ **A Special One-Shot, dedicated to the authors of One-Punch Man and UnOrdinary...**_

 _ **A One-Punch Man x UnOrdinary Crossover:**_

 _ **"The UnOrdinary Punch"**_

* * *

"...ow." stated Saitama, face first into the ground. He pushed himself off the floor and dusted his costume. Well, that wasn't a pleasant experience. He glanced to his side and found Genos in the ground...headfirst and only his legs visible in the air.

He...wasn't sure whether to laugh or just deadpan. Sighing, Saitama walked over and grabbed Genos' legs and pulled, but not too hard, lest his disciple find himself without his lower half. Genos' upper body came straight out from the ground, coughing haphazardly as he was set on the ground. "That-" he started before another coughing fit hit. "That was severely unpleasant. I thought the Doctor made sure it was impossible for me to suffocate."

"Well, obviously, he wanted you to keep your lungs." Saitama quipped as Genos got back up to his feet. "So, uh...where are we?"

Genos looked around. At first glance, it appeared quite obvious that they were in some kind of alley. It reeked of something foul, there were an assortment of garbage bins everywhere, a few of which were overturn, and there were stains on the ground that he didn't dare analyze. In addition, graffiti lined the walls with incomprehensible phrases or words that either made little sense or meant nothing at all. There was even a wired gate not far away from where they were, and on the opposite side was the entrance. He even saw shadows of people walking by of all sorts, from children to old men to teenagers to adults.

"It seems we've been transported." Genos stated the obvious. "There was a theory that Black Holes were also wormholes. The Doctor, on the other hand, believed that they were simply holes that eradicated everything, down to the tiniest atom. I think your punch somehow managed to prove the first theory right, Sensei." He turned to Saitama, opening his mouth, only to freeze suddenly. "...Sensei?"

"Yeah, Genos?"

"That...is you, isn't it?"

Saitama frowned. "I'm pretty sure I'm me, unless I look different." he said before he paused. Then, slowly, he spoke. "Wait...do I look different?"

"H-Hai." Genos nodded, just as slowly. "For one, you look younger. And also..."

"Also, what?"

"...you have hair."

A second passed. Two, then three. Four seconds passed. Then five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine seconds, and then ten seconds went by before Saitama reacted by removing his gloves and putting his hand over his chrome dome, feeling something itchy on top of his head. Slowly, his face morphed into disbelief as he quickly did everything he could with whatever was on his head: tugging, shaking and even ruffling it.

There was no mistaking this sensation. Even after all this time, he could NEVER forget it. He dreamed of feeling these sensations as he ran a hand through dark locks. "I have hair..." Saitama choked, tears running down his face. " _I have hair_! **I HAVE HAIR**!"

"S-Sensei?!" Genos cried, panicked by Saitama's breakdown. "C-Calm down, Sensei!"

* * *

After getting Saitama to calm down, Genos and he promptly made their way out of the alley. When they, they had shortly noticed that something was...off, with the city. Wherever they were, the languages on the signs were written in English, meaning that they were in a foreign country. Secondly, the faces of everyone they met so far added to that fact, as they were only a few faces of obvious Asian descent to them. And thirdly...

"...why is everyone staring at us like we're a bunch of freaks?"

"Actually, Sensei, I believe they are looking at you more than they are at me." Genos sighed as he placed the phone back on its hinges, stepping out of the booth. "I attempted to contact the Hero Association via the standard issue lines, but for some strange reason, they claim they are out of service or disconnected."

Saitama raised an eyebrow. "Did they forget to pay the phone bill?"

Genos gave his master a deadpan stare. "I highly doubt that."

A high tier organization such as the Hero Association wouldn't dare to forget something as trivial as a phone bill on its list of necessary utilities. Something was definitely amiss here. Unfortunately, Genos didn't have time to think much on it as a loud and obnoxious voice shouted at them in perfect English. "Hey! The hell are you doing out here, dressed like that?!" Turning around, the two found who they identified to be a cop approaching. He was somewhere in his mid-fifties, going by his gaunt cheeks and sunken eyelids. He looked particularly livid for some reason, while a much younger and more nervous looking police officer followed behind him.

"What?" Saitama blinked. "What's wrong with my outfit?"

"Everything! You trying to be some sort of superhero, kid?"

"Trying? But I already am one..." Saitama answered, rubbing the back of his head, causing the two officers to stare at him in disbelief. "Well, to be more accurate, I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun."

The officers stared at one another before turning to Saitama. The older cop grew angry. "You think this is some kinda joke, kid?!"

"Joke? No, I'm being serious"

"Um, s-sir..." the younger, more nervous officer stammered. "Maybe you should calm down! If you get too angry, your blood pressure will skyrocket!"

"Shut it, Rookie!" the senior cop snapped at his partner, causing him to recoil and bow his head before he returned his attention to Saitama. "And as for you, you little shit! You're coming with me!"

"Wait, what? What'd I do?!"

Before the man could attempt to arrest Saitama, Genos intervened, stepping in between Saitama and the officer. "I'd appreciate it if you kept your hands off my Sensei." he warned, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Even if you are an officer of the law, there are proper procedures to be followed. State your reasons behind our supposed arrest. And in twenty words or less!"

At that moment, Saitama felt proud of his student. Not the fact that he was protecting him from being arrested, but rather that he wanted to cut straight to the chase. He was...very strange, that way.

The senior officer, on the other hand, didn't look happy. In fact, he looked like he's one step away from literally exploding.

"You little...! I'll tell you what's wrong! Your 'sensei' just admitted that he's a damned vigilante!"

"No. He just said he was a superhero."

"The fuck is the difference?!" he roared, face red. "You know what?! Screw this! I'm taking you both in for questioning!"

He moved in, reaching behind his back. However, he was stopped when a loud explosion erupted in the distance, causing the ground to shake. All four men looked over, finding embers and smoke piling into the air. "Another explosion?" the Rookie whined. "Is it Vigilante month or something?!"

"Quite your complaining, Rookie!" the senior cop snapped at him again. He did have to admit, this month was unusual. What was with the rise of criminal activity lately? Was something strange going on? He stopped his line of thought there, realizing that it was just empty thinking and that he had better things to do instead of worrying something way above his pay grade. Instead, he focused on the matter at hand and turned back to the two teenagers. "As for you two-!"

He stopped when he saw no one there. Not even them with their backs turned and running off in the distance. It only took him a minute to realize that he had just been skipped out, causing his face to turn scarlet red. In the next second, flames started burning out from his mouth, much to the surprise and dismay of his co-worker.

 ** _"THOSE GODDAMN BRAAAAAATS!"_**

* * *

Rei panted, kneeling down to the ground. _'I don't get it...'_ he thought, puzzled and concerned as his assailants slowly approached him. One held an ironing brand while the other had his Ability active: his arms were like giant slabs of metal resembling pincers, sharp and large enough to smash his leg in one hit if he wasn't careful. _'Why can't I use my Ability?!'_

"Target's Ability has been hampered." one of them said, voice distorted. It was clear that they were using modulators to hide their identities, in the event he wouldn't make it out of this. "Moving in for elimination."

He scowled. _'So that's it... These bastards are...'_ He had heard of these guys on the news before. The ones who had been killing off Vigilantes. Rei tried to stand up again, but his body hurt too much. Something was definitely wrong. Whatever was keeping him from using his Ability, it was making him weak. _'Dammit.'_

 _'...sorry, Remi. I don't think Big Brother's coming home.'_

"Hello? We saw the explosion. Is anyone hurt?" A new voice cut in, causing all heads to turn to the source. standing in the alleyway were two teenagers. One was dressed in a yellow costume with a white cape while the other had metallic arms.

The one with the cape then saw the figures inching toward the green haired man with metal pincers and a branding rod. "Are you the ones who caused the explosion?"

Rei's eyes widened in surprise, seeing the two come to his aid. His attackers, on the other hand, eyed them with dangerous intent. "Who are you? Are you with X-Static?"

"If you are referring to the hero you are attacking, then yes, we are." the blonde-haired man with metal arms replied curtly as he stepped forward, pieces of his limbs shifting and forming into cannons. "Surrender now, or this will not end well for you."

 _'Are these guys vigilantes too?'_ Rei thought, grimacing as he lifted his head up, addressing his two fellow heroes. "Be careful!" he shouted at them. "They can suppress your Abilities! They're the ones who've been killing Heroes!"

His words only served to increase the danger presented in the man's eyes, his mouth curving into a scowl. "Is that so?" he said, nodding in thanks to Rei. "Thank you for this information. Please stay there. Sensei, let me deal with these fiends."

"Go ahead." the caped teen waved a hand. "Knock yourself out."

"Arigatou."

"You think you can take us all on?" one man asked, scoffing at the man's flippancy. "Your overconfidence will cost your life!" Without waiting any further, they charged straight at him.

"No, the ones who will fall are you bastards." Without warning, his arm cannons charged energy and fired widespread blasts. The two foes had no idea what hit them until it was too late. They were swallowed by the destructive force of power and were vaporized. Rei gasped, looking at the sight. It didn't even last ten seconds...! He turned his head towards the metal armed man, wondering who he could be before he saw the man tilt his had. "There is another individual present. On the rooftops."

"I got 'em." the caped teen said before he vanished from sight.

"Huh? Where did he-?" He looked up, surprised to see the man jump into the air at such a great height.

* * *

Saitama landed on the building right next to the final assailant on the roof. "Hiya." Startled, the last of the group aimed a strange weapon at him. Saitama quirked an eyebrow, wondering what the heck it was before he shrugged and moved in quick, dashing behind the man and chopping him at the back of the neck. The man stiffened, then fell to the floor like a pile of rocks. "And done." the hero for fun nodded to himself with a slight smile before he picked the guy up and jumped back down to the green-haired man and Genos. "Yo. Look who I caught."

"Impressive, sensei." Genos nodded as his arms turned back to normal.

"You...you two actually got them...you beat EMBER!"

"EMBER? What's that?"

"You don't know?" Before the man could speak further, sirens began to grow louder in the distance, approaching their location. He promptly scowled. "Dammit." He tried to get back up to his feet, only to find himself stumbling. He would have fallen flat on his ass, had it not been for Genos moving in and putting his arm over his shoulder, holding him up. "S-sorry about this, friend."

"Don't worry about it." Genos assured him. "Is there a place we can hide?"

"Y-yeah. My place."

"Can you direct us?" The green-haired man nodded. "Arigatou. I am Genos, S-Class Hero. This is my Sensei, Saitama."

The former bald hero raised a hand. "sup?"

"S-Class Hero?" Rei asked with confusion. "What does that mean?"

"We'll explain later. C'mon. So, where's your house?"

* * *

 ** _"...target has escaped. Two unknown individuals interfered. Orders?"_**

 ** _"Leave them be. We'll have plenty of chances. Besides... X-Static's career is over, now that his powers are weakened to that point."_**

* * *

"...huh. Nice place you got." Saitama said as they stood before Rei's place of residence. "A lot nicer than my apartment."

And that was a major understatement. While Saitama's place was not shabby, Rei's home looked like it belonged to someone who had a very good paying job. It was a large house, possibly three stories, covering a large area. It was painted white and had a large amount of yard property. The interior wasn't so bad either. The living room was pretty spacious, with a long couch that circled around a glass table, which had a few items on it. Behind said couch was a large plasma-screen TV that Saitama would have killed to get his hands on. A few other items nicely decorated the place, definitely giving it the look of a high-class home. Especially the glass pane windows that pretty much made up the left side of the wall.

Genos gently set Rei down on the couch. Taking the moment to look at him, Saitama noted that he looked pretty young. Maybe somewhere in his early twenties hair spiky and green eyes. The upper half of his face was hidden behind a mask, and his hero outfit, which consisted of a carbon jacket with lightning bolts spread across the arms and a hoodie. Underneath that was a dark green shirt with a skull, half cracked in the middle and the lower jaw missing. His dress pants were scuffled and ruined, as were his shoes. In short, the guy looked as if he had just gotten into a fight with a bear and lost.

"I owe you guys one..." Rei said as he removed his jacket, feeling uncomfortably warm and removing his face mask before turning back to the two heroes and smiling. "I'm Rei. Or X-Static, whichever you prefer. Genos and Saitama, right?"

"Hai." Genos nodded. "We're from Japan."

"Figured as much. Never seen you two around before. And Wellston, despite being a city, is a little on the small side."

Saitama cocked his head. "Wellston?" he asked. "Is that where we are?"

"Yeah... You guys didn't know?"

"Dude, we got into a fight with a guy who made Black Holes and got sucked into one of them."

"Wait, you fought someone who can make black holes?!" Rei exclaimed. The two nodded. "He must've been a God-tier, then..."

Genos frowned. "God-tier?"

"Do they not have levels in Japan?" Rei asked. "Here, everyone with an Ability is scaled. There's low-tier, mid-tier, elite-tier and high-tier. People with exceptionally strong abilities are in the sub-category of God-tier."

"You keep saying Abilities. Do you mean a person's supernatural power?"

"Well, yeah." Rei held up his hand, which danced with electricity.

"Oh. So yours is electricity, then."

"Technically, it's lightning. But currently, this is the best I can do. I don't know how, but EMBER had a way to weaken my ability.

"I think that's how they were killing other heroes."

Saitama raised a hand, as if he was in a class speaking to a teacher. "What's EMBER?"

"To be perfectly frank, I have no idea. At best, they're a criminal organization that targets heroes for some reason and kills them. They also leaving behind a calling card, branding an insignia into their backs." Rei frowned heavily, shaking his head. "That would've happen to me too, if it weren't for the two of you."

Genos smiled kindly. "Anything for a fellow Hero." he said, bobbing his head. "For your sake, though, it would be best if you lay low for a while. Until your powers are restored."

"Yeah... That sounds like a good idea." Rei nodded. Suddenly, he felt exhausted as the adrenaline from today leave him, slumping in his seat and resting his head against the spine of his couch. "I feel so tired... I don't think Wellston made me feel this exhausted before."

Deciding to leave him be for now, Genos looked at Saitama. "I'll see if there is a way I can find a suitable means of transportation for us to return to Japan, Sensei." he said, leaving Saitama to nod. The Demon Cyborg then asked Rei if there was an available computer to use. Wordlessly, the vigilante pointed to the other room. Bowing gratefully, the blonde man left the room, leaving Saitama with Rei.

"...so." the former bald hero started. "You got anything I can wear? My clothes are kinda..."

"Upstairs." Rei said tiredly without moving an inch. "First door on the left. Closet."

"Thanks." With a bow in thanks, Saitama went upstairs to get changed.

Meanwhile, in the other room, which resembled a study of some sort, Genos managed to find the computer with relative ease, since it was sitting on top of a desk. Popping it open and booting it up, Genos undid a portion of his wrist, revealing a USB cable. He had used it before in the past, before he had encountered Saitama and requested to study under him. He hacked into government sights and other sources of potential information, looking for the person who took his family away from him and left him in this state: wires and bolts and all. Pulling the cable, Genos attached the USB into the computer. In seconds, the network of the world wide web was exposed to him. Large amounts of information from all across the globe began to flow into his brain as he processed the steady flow of data, filtering out useless bits and searching for the most relevant pieces of data.

About a minute into the process, however, Genos stiffened. "...what?"

* * *

Saitama returned to the living room, now dressed in formal clothes. Mostly just a white shirt and slacks, which were a bit on the baggy side, but he wasn't complaining. He also managed to find the washing room by himself, though he also made sure to ask Rei for permission to use it. That being said, he still needed to fix it up. So many tears...

If Shiggurah was still alive, he was getting himself another punch to the face. Aside from transporting them to somewhere else in the world, his costume got ruined in the process. It completely sucked.

...oh well. At least he got his hair back. "Hehehehe..." he let out a creepy, childish giggle as he ran his hands through his hair. "I can't believe I've got hair again. Best freaking thing ever! Though I wonder why I look like I'm back at high school age? Really is weird." Well, whatever. He was sure the answer would come eventually. As he stepped down the stairs, he found Rei now passed out on the couch, eyes closed and snoozing off to the world. "Geez. He's gonna let the flies in." When he reached the end of the stairs, he found Genos exiting the other room with a troubled expression. "Oh, hey Genos. Found us a way back to Japan yet? Or what country we're in?"

"About that..." Genos sighed. "You...may want to sit down for this, Sensei."

* * *

"...sorry, Genos. Could you repeat that for me?"

"I said," Genos stressed with some concern. "I believe that this is not our world. We have been transported to another dimension."

Saitama blinked. Once, twice. Then he reacted rather calmly. "Wow. You being dumped on your head must've messed up your brain or something. Genos, you do realize that this is real life, right? Not some manga or anime."

"I understand that, but the information I obtained from Rei's computer does not lie. There was no information regarding previous villain sightings or the Hero Association."

"...you serious?"

Genos nodded with a grimace. "I also looked into information about Japan. As I'm sure you already know, Sensei, the first reported Mysterious Being sighting had devastated Japan to the point where all major cities and towns were re-designed and remade, becoming City A, City B, etc. From what I've gleamed from the world wide web, however, Japan has experienced no such event."

"So, that means..." Saitama said slowly, lowering his head and folding his arms. "We're...not in our world anymore?"

"Hai. And that leads to another problem: we have no means to verifying our identities. And only a handful of stores here in Wellston seem to accept yen." Genos sighed deeply, shaking his head. "And worse yet, we have limited funds. Sooner or later, we will run out."

"...well that's just great." saitama groaned, rubbing his face in his hands. This really was bad, wasn't it? Being in a new world sounded exciting on paper, but given his own situation and the present circumstances, it was anything but. In fact, this was horrible. Little cash and no ID. It was like being an unknown all over again, only this time he had no actual valid way of proving anything about him. Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair, only this time out of frustration. "So, what do we do?"

"I did manage to establish some forged information, but without ID's, I'm afraid they're useless." his student replied. "Fortunately, though..."

* * *

In the next few weeks, Saitama and Genos had managed to find themselves in a somewhat hospitable situation. With their funds, they were able to find a cheap apartment to rent among other things. It didn't come without some illegal things on the side, such as procuring IDs on the more shady side of town.

In short, a few rough beginnings here and there, but they were able to establish some form of stability in their current life. In fact, Saitama was willing to wager that it wasn't all that different to their life outside of hero work.

On the subject of hero work, though, Saitama learned a bit more about things here on this side. For starters, this EMBER group really was killing off heroes. Or rather vigilantes. For some reason, people weren't really excited about the whole prospect of heroes. If anything, they were quite annoyed with their presence or the fact that they were being killed off. Honestly speaking, however, Saitama didn't really care much about that. If he was helping people, that was enough for him.

Already, people were talking about a guy dressed in a yellow tracksuit, openly taking down small time criminals or people abusing their powers. Soon enough, there were news articles spread about this mysterious hero. Even more than that, the battles ended in only a matter of seconds.

"I wonder if I can still settle things with one punch?" Saitama wondered aloud as he watched TV. It was some crappy cartoon or something, Squarepants or something? All he got out of it was that it involved some chipper sponge working at a restaurant, or something along those lines.

"Sensei!" Genos called out happily as he entered the room, carrying a cardboard box. "I have good news! Our uniforms came in."

"Uniforms?"

"For Wellston High School, of course."

A second went by before Saitama gave his disciple a deadpan stare. "...can I ask why you apparently signed us up for school?" he asked plainly while also being remarkably calm for someone who was just now told he had been signed up to participate in high school again. "And more importantly, why did you sign up? Shouldn't you have already graduated?"

"Yes, but my physical appearance is still physically that of a teenager. Same as yours." the Demon Cyborg reasoned. "Also, it would be quite odd to see teenagers walking around while school is currently in session. I believed it would be best if we played the role, while I attempt to see if there are any reports of a person possessing dimensional capabilities. My current theory is that if we find someone who can use Black Holes, and you execute your technique again once we're pulled in, we can return to our home world."

"Or get tossed into another world."

Genos winced. "Very true...but my reasoning still stands."

"Okay, fine..." Saitama sighed as he got up. "When do we start school?"

"As early as next week. As it turns out, Rei-san's younger sister also attends Wellston High School."

"Speaking of Rei, how he's doing?"

"Physically, he's recovered from the previous attack. However, his ability is still weak. He went to the hospital to see what was wrong, but the results are still inconclusive."

"Oh. Well, that doesn't sound good."

"Indeed." Genos folded his arms, developing a serious look on his face. "I've also been attempting to investigate this EMBER group."

"And?" Saitama asked curiously. "What did you find out?"

"They seem to be a terrorist organization who specifically target vigilantes with high-tier powers. However, there has been some speculation that they have ties with the government."

"Wait, so it's possible that these terrorists are government sanctioned?"

"It's a possibility."

Saitama shook his head in disbelief. "The heck? Why would a bunch of uptight suits want to get rid of heroes?"

"Apparently, the current status of the world, or rather, here in the United States, is more or less similar to Social Darwinism. The strongest receive benefits, attention and protection with the right to do as they please. The weak, however, are constantly suffering. Cripples, individuals without any sort of power whatsoever, are often the major targets." Genos revealed with disdain. "A few years ago, a book titled "Unordinary" was published, which received polarizing attention, namely because its contents encouraged people to use their powers for the benefits of others. To put it simply, heroics. However, a few months following its publication, it was banned. My best guess is that EMBER, and the government, want to keep the status quo of the world as it is, and eliminate influences."

"Huh... Heroics, huh. Did Rei ever read that book?"

"As a matter of fact, he has. He owns a copy."

"Could make for a hell of a read." Saitama said off-handedly. "Guess that's all the more reason why we oughta find EMBER. In the meantime... When did you school starts for us?"

* * *

Saitama's first impression of Wellston? Too damned stuffy. Well, that should be expected since it was a private school. But even so, it was just too suffocating. Everyone wore uniforms, the teachers were strict, etc.k Don't even get him started on the looks everyone was giving him. Seriously, why was everybody eyeballing him? It was bad enough the teacher was giving him the stink eye, though that was probably because of his off-handed remark about him looking like a potato.

What? The man was that overweight! And don't even get him started on the hairstyle!

By the time he was forced to sit through classes, endure a boring lecture and the constant whispering of his classmates, Saitama remembered why high school wasn't as fun as it was when he reminisced. And he was going to be enduring this for several months, assuming that was how long it would take to find somebody who could make black holes. Thinking back on it, Saitama really should have just jumped out of there. Would have been much easier. But then again, he was panicking at the moment, since he was worried about his student at the time.

He barely noticed class ending, just that listless when he heard Genos calling out to him. He had to admit, it was very odd to see him covering up those awesome metal arms. And the uniform really didn't suit him in the least. Actually, it might've been a few sizes to small, given how it was struggling to keep his form in. Not that the girls were complaining, as he could see.

"How were classes, sensei?"

"Boring." Saitama said bluntly. "It ain't like how I remembered it being. Then again, not everyone in my school had freaking superpowers. How about you?"

"It was eventful." the metal man answered pleasantly enough. "A student questioned me on my life prior to here before asking about my Ability?"

"What'd you tell her?"

"That I am, by this world's standards, a Cripple." Genos answered before frowning. "She didn't seem to believe me, however."

 _'I think I know why.'_ Saitama thought with some humor. It was pretty outlandish, claiming you didn't have powers when you were clearly made of metal. Plus, there was the matter of his eyes, which were black and gold. Anyone would think he was lying, even though he was telling the truth. _'Huh... Now that I think about it, does that mean I would be a Cripple too?'_

He didn't actually have any super powers, contrary to public opinion. His strength and speed were all due to his training regiment. Really, anyone could've achieved the same results if they worked hard for it. He was just lucky he had the patience to see his training through to the end.

Even if it did cost him his hair.

 _'I definitely need to make sure my hair stays on my head this time.'_ he thought with unusual seriousness, not daring to think what kind of life awaited him if his hair was gone again, especially after he just got it back!

As they entered the hallway, Saitama paused and looked to the side, finding a sight that made him frown. It looked like bullying: something he would recognize easily. Two or three students were ganging up on a kid with neat black hair and gold eyes, who was trying to pull away from them.

"Excuse me for a sec, Genos." Saitama said, though the man didn't mind, instead nodding and wished him the best of luck and watched his sensei go to confront the bullies.

* * *

John was having a really bad day. Well, to be fair, he's been having a series of bad days for the past week. Ever since Seraphina got suspended, he's been the target of every other student at Wellston as their personal punching bag.

Today was no different.

He knew that, because he was friends with Seraphina, most people didn't dare try and pick on him. Now that she was gone, however, it was more or less open season on his ass. Every passing day, it was becoming increasingly hard for him to hold back the urge to lash out. But he kept his hands strained, refusing to strike back.

And that made it all the easier for these guys to make a mess out of him, as one delivered a punch to his stomach. Woefully unprepared, John almost found his lunch coming back to greet him, falling to his knees. "And down he goes!" one of them laughed wickedly as he looked down at John, pearly whites stretched across his smile. "How's it feel being down there, Johnny?"

"Screw..." John coughed, glaring back at them. "You!"

"What was that?!" His defiance made their faces twist in anger, much to his pleasure. The resulting beat down to come, however, would not be as pleasant. "Why you little-!"

"Uh, hey, can you guys stop for a sec?" All heads then turned to the speaker. He seemed to be an average guy with plain looks and a head of black hair.

"Huh? Who are you? Can't you see we're having our fun here?"

"Well, my name is Saitama. And you call beating up another kid fun? That's pretty messed up." John stared at the teen in surprise. Either he had been hit harder than he thought, or was someone actually trying to stand up for him?

"You must be that new fish that came today." one of the bullies sneered before he gestured to John. "You see him? He's a Cripple!"

"And so am I. What's your point?" Saitama deadpanned, eliciting looks of disbelief from everyone, especially John.

"...you serious?" One of them spoke in disbelief. "You're a cripple...and your trying to stand up for ANOTHER cripple?"

"Yeah. Your point?" He questioned with a blank expression.

"...did you hit your head somewhere?"

"Once or twice." Saitama shrugged. "So, you idiots gonna stop messing with him, or what?"

 _'You idiot!'_ John wanted to scream at his stupidity. _'Don't go threatening them like that! Especially when you just told them you've got no powers!'_

"Are you stupid? Of course not! Speaking of which..." Of them them walked up to Saitama as his eyes glowed. "Now you can join him!"

He thrust his glowing red palm at the hero who leaned his head to the side to avoid it. With a look of annoyance, Saitama delivered a chop to the back of the guy's neck, knocking him out instantly and sending him down to the floor in an unconscious heap. "Joe!" his partner cried before growling at Saitama. "Y-you bastard, what did you do?! Eat this!" He then charged at him also, rearing back a fist to strike him, which turned into silver metal. Saitama grabbed his fist with ease, and then promptly delivered a headbutt that threw him to the ground.

He didn't get back up.

"Well, that's two down." He looked at the remaining bully. "Want to make it three for three?" The bully stared at Saitama, wide-eyed before he looked at John. Then back at Saitama. With a loud gulp, he brought a glowing blue fist, which cackled with sparks, to his face and clocked himself out. "Huh. Never seen 'em do that before." Saitama said before he turned to a stupefied John. "You doin' okay down there?"

"...huh?" John said, after his brain rebooted. Then he nodded slowly. "Um, y-yeah. I'm okay."

"You sure? You looked like you wanna puke your lunch out."

"N-No, no. I'm fine."

"...do you want to get up?"

"...yes please." Saitama extended a hand that John gratefully accepted. "Thanks, by the way."

"Eh, don't mention it." he waved a hand in dismissal. "Name's Saitama. You?"

"John."

"Nice to meet you. So...not to be rude, but I take it this is a daily occurrence?" He gestured to the fallen bullies.

"Unfortunately...yeah..."

"That's gotta suck."

"You have no idea."

A short period of silence fell over them before Saitama rubbed the back of his head. "So, you wanna have lunch with me and the big guy over there?"

* * *

Unsurprisingly, John, Saitama and Genos had all hit it off. What was originally spending his time with Seraphina, the boy found himself in the company of a fellow cripple and a high-tier who scared the utter pants off of anyone who tried. Several of his bullies attempted to tr and torment him, but his new friends made sure they all stayed down. If it wasn't Genos and his Ability, which had something to do with machinery judging by his arms, then Saitama who demonstrated impressive physical capabilities that allowed him to fend off weaker Ability users with surprising ease.

That had thrown everybody for a loop. A Cripple capable of defending himself? John had practically laughed when he heard such whispers and exclamations. Granted, he had some self defense skills of his own, but most of them were bluffs or he just got lucky. Saitama, however, was just full on physical strength. Way stronger than he was. Faster, even. John had to wonder if he had an Ability, but he already knew the answer. He could tell who had an Ability and who didn't have one.

The clear indication that his eyes did not glow when he performed these feats said it all. There were some exceptions, but those had been so far and few in between that it was really hard to tell.

Regardless, for the longest time since Seraphina had been suspended after the school discovered she was in possession of Unordinary, he was able to find himself at pace, hanging around in the presence of these guys. When Seraphina comes back, or she manages to get back into touch with him, he definitely had to tell her about these guys.

For Arlo, however, they had been a nuisance. They had only come to Wellston a mere few days ago, and yet there were messing everything up. His plans had been specific and carefully planned. He knew there was something off about John. Something that just didn't make sense. A secret that he was hiding from everyone. In order to expose that truth, he had to put a few things into place and uncover it. The first thing he did was have Elaine make an anonymous report to the faculty about Seraphina's possession of a banned item. Then he'd let the poor kid suffer from the students.

Everyone had a breaking point. Even someone as strong-willed as John. It was only a matter of time before he cracked and showed what it was that he was trying to so hard to keep secret.

And then Saitama and Genos came along, and suddenly his plans became derailed. They steered John away from breaking by granting him companionship and camaraderie. They protected him from the bullies and give him a sense of peace. And the bullies had more or less found themselves staring at two unmovable objects.

He needed to find a way to deal with them.

One possibility was that he could isolate them from John, but the question was how? They seemed adamant about staying close with him. There were a number of ideas he had in mind, but they all seemed just so obsolete. Especially given their strengths. Saitama, despite being a Cripple, was clearly physically capable of holding his own against the low and mid-tier level students, with his preferred method being a quick chop to the back of the neck or simply headbutting them. Genos was even worse. While he wasn't quite sure where to rank him, he was clearly somewhere between the elite-tier to the high-tier. While he wasn't as often involved in dealing with the bullies, he had more than earned his reputation here at the school. In fact, some claimed that he would one day replace Blyke as the school's Jack, or perhaps replace Arlo as King.

It would be a cold day in hell before Arlo would allow that to happen anytime soon. He earned this position after fighting tooth and nail for it after Rei graduated.

One way or another, however, he was going to find out John's secret and see it for himself.

After all, for what possible reason would someone claim that they were a Cripple, if they certainly had an ability?

* * *

"Wait, this Seraphina chick can stop time?" Saitama asked in slight surprise. "Like, she freezes time around her, or she pulls that whole Za Warudo thing I keep hearing about?"

"Well, I don't know what _Za Warudo_ even means, but she can literally stop time for everyone and freely move, she can freely manipulate time."

John explained with a wide grin. "She's the school's Ace, so that should tell you something."

"Ace?" Genos required before he remembered. "Ah, that's right! The strongest ability users are referred to as the Royals, correct?"

"Yep. The King being the strongest male student, the Queen being the female, Jack the runner up, and the Ace the strongest student in the school."

"Who's the Joker?" Saitama asked, earning a confused look from the raven-haired teen. "What? From what I get, you basically call the strongest students playing cards! So who's the wildest one?"

John sweatdropped. "I...don't think there's anyone with a position like that." he admitted. Then again, he never really had much of an interest in the school's social structure, aside from that high-tiers were the strongest and everyone below elite-tier was shit. Maybe he'd give it some thought and see if there was a position like that. "So, Saitama. What did you do before coming here to Wellston."

"Nothing much. Just beating up monsters and guys trying to cause trouble for others." he answered, causing John to pause. That sounded suspiciously like... No, couldn't be. That was impossible. Sure, Saitama was strong for a Cripple, but there was no way he could fight off high-tiers, right?

Still, was worth a joke at his expense. "So, what? You're like a vigilante?"

"Nope. Just a guy who's a hero for fun."

Had he been drinking anything, this definitely would have been the part where he'd spit out the contents. Instead, he could only manage a dry choke as he stared at Saitama in disbelief. "E-excuse me?"

"Yeah. I'm a hero for fun. Well, also because I like helping people." Saitama answered simply.

"...excuse me?" John repeated, unsure whether or not he could trust his hearing.

"Yeah. I like to help people. That's why I'm a hero for fun."

"Sensei is the kindest person I ever met. He made me his disciple and I became stronger as a result." Genos added.

 _'...I think my brain stopped functioning. Did-did he just literally call himself a hero? Seriously?'_

Either Saitama was just messing with him, or he actually meant it. Now that he thought about it, there had been stories about someone around his age wearing a yellow suit with a white cape performing heroic acts around the city. Could that really be Saitama? No, that was impossible. A Cripple couldn't do that. Either that, or...

...Saitama was like him.

 _'No, he isn't.'_ his mind immediately put the thought down the second it appeared. _'You'd know if he was!'_

"So what about you?" Saitama asked.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"What did you do before coming to Wellston?"

"Oh." John breathed a small sigh of relief before putting on a sheepish face, rubbing the back of his head. "I was home schooled. Let me tell you, the entrance exams were not easy."

Unknown to John, Genos' eyes narrowed slightly, as if having caught something unusual. Saitama didn't seem to think anything of it and instead nodded vigorously in agreement. "Tell me about it. I barely made it in, thanks to Genos. He got perfect marks!"

"Seriously?! That's impressive..."

"So, back to this Seraphina chick. Is she your girlfriend?"

It took a second for John's brain to register that question. When it rebooted, he promptly spluttered and turned into a blushing mess. "W-what?! No! She-she's just a friend! In fact, she was the first friend I made here at Wellston! That's it! Really!"

Saitama chuckled. "Calm down, man. I was just curious. No need to get so hot and bothered."

John soon calmed down. He was right. He didn't need to panic over this. What was he thinking? Did...did he really imagine Sera that way? He sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands. So embarrassing. Seraphina had been his friend and, much to his own internal dismay, crutch during his time here at Wellston. Her suspension made him realize just how much he depended on her. With her gone, he was left vulnerable to everyone.

He suspected that Arlo had something to do with it. Though was pretending to play the part of the 'friend' John knew that he was already vaguely aware that he wasn't everything he claimed to be. He knew he had an Ability. If all of this was just an attempt to get him to reveal it, he had almost succeeded.

He then smiled, realizing that Saitama and Genos were helping him in this regard. Sure, he knew they wouldn't always be at his side, but they were helping him out more than they realized.

If they hadn't been there for him, he probably would've snapped a long time about and blew everything.

He wouldn't have trusted them if they had abilities, or at the very least treated them with reservations, but since Saitama was a Cripple, he was willing to forgo suspicions.

Still, he really did need to ask why Genos referred to Saitama as "Sensei."

* * *

Had anyone looked at the sky above Wellston City, they would only see a bright blue sky, with white clouds hanging overhead harmlessly. If one looked closer, however, like viewing at it from up high on an airplane, they would have noticed it. It was small, almost impossible to see, but it was there.

A "crack."

A crack found not on the window of a plane, but in the very space, the very sky itself. A crack that was slowly, yet surely, expanding wider and wider.

* * *

Around the second or third week following Saitama and Genos' arrival at Wellston, word was beginning to spread about the former's apparent ability to easily subdue low-tier with terrifying ease, despite his status as a Cripple, all the while shadowed by a particularly powerful high-class, that being Genos. While at first, people didn't take any stock when the word first began to appear in hushed whispers, but now that a month was coming close to ending, people were starting to take notice.

And unfortunately for Saitama, much to his annoyance, this meant that mid-tiers had wanted a crack at him. Speaking of the former bald hero, he was currently standing over the unconscious bodies of around a dozen students, looking very irritated.

"Seriously, this makes three times today." he said, clearly agitated. "Can't you people just leave me alone?!"

Honestly, this was just getting stupid. So he was a Cripple who could take a few people down. So what?! Anyone could do it if they trained hard enough! Hell, he was sure John could do it too, and he looked pretty ripped if what he saw in gym class meant anything.

Either way, if he was going to have to deal with this any longer, he was going to snap. Maybe he should take a run around the city. Maybe then he could get a decent workout and vent his frustrations. Besides, it would also be a good way for him to see if there was anyone who needed help. He was a hero, after all.

"Oooh... That's a lot of people you clocked out." Saitama blinked, looking over his shoulder. Behind him was a girl with peach hair and eyes, wearing the school uniform with the blazer left open. Next to her was a kid with crimson hair and golden eyes, though he had discarded the jacket and vest and wore only the dress shirt. "What'd they do to you?"

"...if I told you they jumped me because I was protecting my friend, would you believe me?"

"Hm, maybe." the girl shrugged before she smiled. "You must be the new guy, right? Saitama?"

"That's me. And you're...?"

"Remi!" the girl grinned, holding up a v sign with her hand. "Nice to meet'cha!"

 _'Huh. She hasn't tried to attack me, so that's a plus, I guess.'_ Saitama thought with some relief before he tilted his head, puzzled. "Remi? Wait, you wouldn't happen to be Rei's little sister, would you?"

The crimson-haired kid's eyes widened before they narrowed in suspicion. Remi's eyes widened as well before a jubilant expression on her face. "Aha! I knew you were the guy! My brother mentioned you before!" She proceeded to snatch her hand and shake it vigorously. "Thank you so much for helping him! Hey-hey, Blyke! Hurry up and introduce yourself, will ya?!"

"O-Okay, okay!" The red haired teen replied before turning to the formerly bald teen. "Hey. My name's Blyke. Nice to meet ya, I guess."

"Yeah. Same here."

"So..." Blyke looked back and forth between the two, eyebrow raised. "What exactly happened with Rei?"

"Oh, the big lug got himself into trouble when this guy showed up." Remi gave the abridged version, patting Saitama on the shoulder. He was at first confused why she didn't fully explain before remembering that, in this world, heroes were vigilantes and treated with suspicion and slight hate, in no small part due to EMBER. "I owe him big~!"

At this, Saitama waved a hand in dismissal. "You don't owe me anything." he said. "I was just happy to help is all."

"And that's exactly why I owe you. if you weren't there...then Rei might not be here right now..."

There was a sad tone in her voice. For a second, her happy face dissipated and turned into one of sadness. Saitama winced, wondering what kind of life she would be leading if he and Genos hadn't decided to come over and protect Rei when they had. Just picturing it was enough to make him sad for the girl.

Well, at the very least, he prevented that from happening. Just another right in the world.

"Well..." Saitama rubbed the back of his head. "In that case, you can maybe pay me back by keeping these idiots from jumping me and John. Dunno why, but they keep trying to mess with us just 'cause we don't have Abilities."

Remi blinked. Once, twice. "...wait, you mean you're a Cripple?!" she exclaimed in shock, Blyke wearing a similar expression. Saitama nodded. "W-wow...what kind of training did you go through if you saved my brother from that kind of trouble?!"

"One-hundred push-ups, one-hundred sit-ups, one-hundred squats, and a ten kilometer run." Saitama replied bluntly.

Before Remi could comment or call him out on this, probably thinking he was lying, someone called out from behind Saitama and addressed the girl. "Hey, Remi. You busy?"

* * *

When Arlo found Remi, the last thing he expected to find was about a dozen students laid flat out on the ground, every single one of them unconscious. His first thought was that they were apparently stupid enough to try and pick a fight with her, since she was the Queen, but then he saw one of the two people who had been giving him a headache all month.

Saitama. The Cripple. Or as he was quickly becoming known as, "Saitama the Strongest Cripple."

It was absolutely ludicrous in his opinion. How could a Cripple be strong? Unlike John, he possesses no ability whatsoever. Yet for the past month, low-tiers, even mid-tiers have been getting beaten by this one, ordinary, teenager.

It just simply, could not be possible!

Even more ludicrous was the fact that Remi was actually speaking with him. He was tempted to fight Saitama head on, but he instead kept his head down and chose to politely address him, hiding his true feelings. "You're Saitama, the new student, aren't you?" he asked. "I see you've become acquainted with Remi here."

"You could say that." Saitama admitted. "Are you a friend of hers?"

"Yes. My name is Arlo." He extended a hand, putting on a fake smile. "Pleasure to meet you."

"You too." Saitama grasped the hand with his own. Arlo had to fight the urge to wince. Saitama actually had a powerful grip that it felt like his fingers were in a vice. It didn't even seem like he was doing this on purpose, given his passive, friendly expression.

"What's up?" Remi asked, curious. "Something up?"

"Well, I did need to talk to you, but it looks like you were busy. Sorry for interrupting."

"Oh, nah. She just came to thank me is all." Saitama told him sheepishly, earning a confused look. Remi was thanking him? For what? What could he possibly have done to earn her favor? "I gotta get going, anyway. Promised I'd see John and Genos at the court." He turned back to Remi and offered a friendly smile and wave. "See ya around, Remi."

"You too, Sai!" Remi grinned and waved back, watching him leave before turning back to the blonde. "So, what do ya need, _Asslo_?"

Arlo groaned. "You are never going to stop calling me that, are you?"

"Nope~" She smiled happily. Ever since Sera had started calling him that, Remi decided to jump on the bandwagon. Well, that, and it was sorta payback for taking the last piece of Triple Chocolate cake from her one time. Even if she did win it back afterward. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"It's about the upcoming Turf War with New Bostin." Arlo explained. "Apparently, they decided to postpone it. Something about their Royal coming down with the flu."

Blyke raised an eyebrow. "Just for one of their Royals?" he asked in slight disbelief. "They want to postone because one of them got sick?"

"Actually, they only have one Royal." Arlo told him. "Apparently, the last King did a number on the entire school. The second-year class was wiped out, and the Queen, Jack and Ace were all a part of that. It's been a few years since then, but right now, it's ruled by only one Royal."

"Yeesh." Remi winced. "The King must've been a hellraiser."

"Quite." Arlo shrugged. "Anyway, what were you and Saitama talking about?"

"I just wanted to thank him for saving brother while he was at work."

Arlo's eyes became the size of softballs, neck whipping so fast he heard it crack as he looked down the hallway. In the distance, he could barely make out Saitama, nonchalantly making his way down the staircase. Then he turned back to his fellow Royals, looking over at Blyke. "Hey, Blyke. Can you give me and Remi a sec?" he asked politely. The red-head didn't raise any questions and nodded, walking away while the two could discuss something without prying ears.

Arlo then turned his attention fully to Remi, face serious. "When you say Rei was at work, do you mean his job, or...?"

"Rei was attacked by EMBER." Remi said, face serious. "Saitama and Genos showed up and stopped them." The girl then looked down at the ground, balling her fists. "But...ever since that day, Rei's ability has been so weak. He can barely manage to make a few sparks. That's how..." She gritted her teeth, feeling unjust anger burning in her chest. "That's how they've been killing the other vigilantes. They found a way to weaken our powers. If, if it weren't for Saitama and Genos when they showed up...!"

Remi didn't finish. There was no need to. Arlo pieced it together on his own. If they hadn't shown up, then Rei would've been killed. So, he begrudgingly felt grateful for the two of them now. However, the rest of Remi's statement disturbed him. EMBER possessed a way to weaken abilities. Rei was a High-tier, with a level of 5.8 last he checked. Now he was only reduced to creating some sparks; a low-tier capability at best.

It both frightened and angered him. Frightened because someone so powerful had dropped to a weak level, and angry for the same reason.

Rei, the one person he respected above all else, the one person who had been able to break through his Barrier, had been attacked, nearly killed, and now weakened.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "...does anyone else know about Rei?" he asked. "Both about his power and his job?"

Remi shook her head. "Aside from Saitama and Genos, no. And the doctors. They haven't figured anything out, and it's been a month. I... I know I should be glad that Rei is okay, even if he's gotten weaker, but... Arlo, those guys. EMBER. They're..."

"Whatever you're thinking about doing, don't." Arlo told her sternly. "Look at yourself. You're practically shaking at the idea of what could've happened if Rei died. Think about how he would feel if you tried going after those guys yourself and ended up dead in his place." His face turned gentle, putting his hands on her shoulders. They felt so tense, anger having built up like mad. "Rei thinks the world of you, you know."

"I know, I know..." She frowned. "But he's my brother. I just...I just want to help him..."

"You can help him by being there for him." Arlo advised. "That will be enough for him. Besides, it'll probably do some good for his health." Seeing the depressed look on her face, the blonde couldn't help but try and make a joke. "At least now he gets some time off from his work, even if it wasn't intended."

"...yeah, I guess so." Remi sighed before a small smile returned to her face. "I'm still angry, though. If I run into those guys, I'll kick 'em right in the balls!"

"Please try not to go after them. The last thing we need is to hear you got killed fighting them."

"Yeah, yeah." Remi pouted. "By the way, when you have time, can you help me with something? I wanted to repay Saitama for helping Rei, and he asked if it was possible to stop everyone from trying to pick a fight with him and John."

Arlo wanted to protest to this, but he realized that would be a dick move, even for him. This was a troublesome situation, but he soon found himself questioning what he was supposed to do now. On the one hand, he was dying to see what kind of power John was hiding behind everyone's back, but on the other hand, he now owed Saitama a favor, even if he didn't want it.

 _'...dammit.'_ his slightly more honorable side groaned as he agreed to Remi's request, much to her delight. _'Honor before reason, huh? What a joke. Still... I'd give anything to protect that smile of yours, Remi. Whether I like it or not, Saitama, I owe you a debt and I intent to fulfill it. Even if it means holding off on John a little while longer.'_

* * *

 **"HMM...HOW...CURIOUS..."**

* * *

Arlo and Remi made good on their word. In a public demonstration, no less, when Saitama's actions had finally warranted at least one high-tier student who wanted a crack at him to charge right at him during lunch break, only to find himself trapped by Arlo's barrier and then knocked right out via a drop kick by Remi. The two Royals proceeded to tell their shocked audience that, as of this moment, the two Cripples were off limits and anyone who tried to do anything to them would have to answer to the King and Queen.

After that day, nobody even attempted to make a snide remark or try and sneak attack the group.

"...how?" John found himself asking his new friend. "How in the hell did you get the King and Queen to agree to get the entire school of our backs?!"

"Well, I saved Remi's brother a while back from some group called EMBER. She said she owed me, so I told them about our predicament, and she agreed. I think she also told Arlo about it. He seemed like a nice guy to agree to it." John stared at Saitama, who spoke all of this so easily like it was the most casual thing in the world. There were so many things wrong about that sentiment, he wasn't even sure where to start. Instead, he wisely just nodded dumbly. It would be better for his sanity this way, or just pretend that Saitama was semi-delusional. One or the other had to be the case for his messed up head. "Oh, and your phone's ringing?"

"It is?" He dug into his pants pocket, finding that it was indeed vibrating. He must've been lost in thought, he didn't feel it go off. When he looked at the collar ID, however, he found himself rising to his feet, face beaming as he answered the call. "Hello? Sera?"

Genos tilted his head. "An odd reaction for someone who claims that they are merely friends." he noted aloud.

John promptly ignored him, in favor for his conversation with his friend. [Hey, John. It's been a while. Sorry I haven't been in touch. My mom cut off my internet and cable. But Now, I'm almost home free. I'm heading back to Wellston right now. Do you think I can crash at your place until my suspension is lifted in a few days?]

"Sure, my door's open. Oh, and I want to introduce you to some new friends."

[Really? You? Make friends? Hell must be freezing over.]

"Hey!" John cried indignantly. "I can make friends! A-and besides, they're good people. I'll introduce you to them when you get here. Speaking of which, do you know what time your flight will be reaching the airport?"

[I should be there in about a couple hours.]

"That's perfect! We'll be there after school. See you then."

[See you later.] She then hung up.

Pocketing his phone, he turned to tell his friends the news, only to stop at the strange look Saitama was giving him. "...what?"

"You know, for all you talk about her not being your girlfriend, you certainly act like she is."

"SHE'S NOT!"

* * *

"Yo, Luke. What's up, man? You been staring at the sky for like minutes."

"...Joe. Do you see that?"

"See what?"

"That, right over there." he pointed with his finger. "You're seeing this too, right? That small crack in the sky?"

"Crack? I don't see any...wait..."

Unlike before, when the crack was only barely visible to those high in the sky, it was now visible to people on the ground. It was faint, but it was growing by the day. Soon, it would be large enough for everyone to notice.

And both construction workers could've sworn they saw a glowing red eye glaring down at them from inside the crack.

* * *

"...damn." That had been the first thing the purple-haired girl, Seraphina, had said when she met Saitama and Genos as she stared at the latter's exposed metal arms. "That a part of your ability, or...?"

"A part of my Ability." Genos stuck to his cover story flawlessly, nodding. His neutral expression had only helped make her believe his claim. Saitama wondered how good the guy would be at poker, though he didn't wish to find out. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Seraphina-san." the Demon Cyborg bowed humbly. "My name is Genos. This is my Sensei, Saitama."

"Yo."

"Nice to meet you too. Wait, sensei? That's japanese for teacher. You mean you're his teacher or something?"

"Hai!" Genos said, this time with emotion and fervor. "I wouldn't be the man I am today if it wasn't for him!"

"Hey now. You give me too much credit..." Saitama shook his head. In his opinion, he had done very little to help Genos. He had come to train under him, and all he did was offer advice on mentality, since physical training would do nothing for him, what with his body made of metal and all. "Anyway, nice meet ya, Seraphina."

"Likewise. So...I've heard that you two have been helping John out during my absence. Thanks for that."

"Eh, it wasn't any biggie." Saitama shrugged. Really, he just wanted to help John. It wasn't anything truly significant.

Seraphina looked at him, slightly puzzled, but then shrugged. She grabbed her luggage and left the airport with the three boys.

All the while unaware of a small group of people watching her intently.

* * *

When John had welcomed Seraphina into his home, with Saitama and Genos tagging along for the ride (the former mostly for free food and the latter out of curiosity), the last thing he expected was to find his father, William H. Doe, home when he was supposed to be overseas and swamped with work. Not that he was complaining, mind you. In fact, it was welcoming to know that his father was home and he could introduce her to Seraphina, as well as his new friends.

And unsurprisingly, William and Saitama hit it off in seconds. John assumed it was likely due to their official status as Cripples. But William seemed to admire Saitama for his capability of dealing with ability users. He still couldn't believe everything he did was all due to raw strength and skill alone. Especially considering that, up until recently, mid-tiers had started to get involved. Were it not for his own capability to sense other Ability users, he was sure Saitama had one. But no, he didn't. He was a Cripple, through and through.

As for Genos, he had mostly been asking about UnOrdinary with William. Being interested in the idea he presented, the two were more or less engaged in ethics and a long winded discussion that John eventually found himself tuning out, in favor of talking with Seraphina and Saitama.

"Your father seems nice." Seraphina noted as she lounged on the couch with the former bald hero. "Then again, he did write that book for you."

John groaned. "He told you, didn't he?" he asked in exasperation, earning a confused look from Saitama. "My dad... He wrote UnOrdinary because of me. If you happen to own a copy, there's a line on the very last page that reads, 'dedicated to my son.' Its-its embarrassing."

"I don't think so. I think it's very cute." Seraphina grinned, making her friend shake his head in dismay. "So... John's told me a bit about you, but I have to ask. What did you do before coming to Wellston, Saitama?"

"I was a hero for fun." Saitama replies easily.

"A hero? You mean, a vigilante?"

"Nah. I was called a Hero. I became one because I enjoyed helping people."

"...you're joking."

"No, I'm serious."

"You're seriously a vigilante? I'm surprised EMBER hasn't gotten to you yet."

"Well, they tried. They were too weak for me though."

Seraphina blinked. She looked at John, her eyes practically demanding he give her answers. In response, he held up his hands weakly in defense. "H-hey. I don't know the specifics." he said, nervous that he may find himself on the opposing end of her Ability. He had already experienced it enough in the past when she was still regarded as the Ace, and he was not keen on experiencing it again. "I'm still trying to understand the whole thing myself!"

"Eh? You haven't made anymore copies?!" Genos' loud exclamation brought their attention back over to him and William.

The man nodded somberly. "Since the government decided it was controversial, they made it blatantly clear what would happen if I made another copy. Sorry, friend. John used to have a copy, but I believe he gave it to a friend."

"Yeah." Seraphina snorted. "And then it got confiscated when Elaine ratted me out." She bowed her head in apology to John. "Sorry again, by the way."

"It's fine, Sera." John told her in understanding. That situation was entirely beyond her control.

The metal-armed teen groaned. "I suppose I will have to ask Rei if it would be alright if I borrowed his copy, then, should we see him again."

"Wait, you guys know Rei?" Seraphina asked them.

"Yeah. We met when we first got here. We actually saved him from this group called EMBER." Saitama answered. Suddenly, the room turned quiet. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"...you're saying you guys fought EMBER, the group that's been killing of vigilantes, and survived?!"

"And that Remi's brother was targeted by EMBER?!"

"Yeah. I think he said that he also went by X-Static. He was a hero too." Saitama answered.

Genos sighed heavily, palming his face while everyone else present stared on in absolute shock, jaws unhinged. "Sensei... We really do need to work on you being able to keep secrets."

* * *

 **"SO...YOU'RE HERE...HOW WONDERFUL! I SHALL AVENGE SHIGGURAH AND WIPE OUT THIS PITIFUL DIMENSION!"**

* * *

The next few days were quite strange, what with Saitama blurting out details that were not meant to be shared. He was only lucky that the people he discussed this with were John, Seraphina and the former's father. That had been quite the hectic moment, with everyone demanding answers before they swore to secrecy.

"Honestly, Sensei." Genos gently chided his teacher as they washed the dishes. William had initially protested, seeing as how they were guests, but they were quite adamant about doing it. "You really need to learn what to and not to say."

"I said I was sorry." Saitama pouted. "Besides, it was only those guys, right? I doubt they would tell anyone."

"Perhaps, but my point still stands."

The former bald hero sighed and shook his head. He knew he had screwed up somewhat, but his disciple should be at least thankful it was only them and not someone else. It could've been worse, like he had blabbed it to the entire public. Now that would have been bad, but Genos knew that Saitama would never do that. "Anyway... Why were you staring at John the other day? If I didn't know any better, I thought you had laser eyes built in and were trying to fry him."

"John is... He is strange." Genos admitted, glancing over his shoulder. Seraphina and John were currently engaged in a board game, one in which the latter was losing horribly judging by Seraphina's smug expression and his look of frustration. "He lied about his past and about being a Cripple, yet it wasn't done out of malicious intent."

"Wait, what?"

"When someone uses their Ability, their body temperature rises by about four degrees." Genos explained. "For example, Arlo-senpai's body temperature was around room average, but when he used his Ability, it rose. Same with Remi-senpai, as well as every Ability user who has attempted to instigate a conflict with us. Whenever John was alone and then targeted, his body temperature rises by that same amount. I've also noticed that when activating one's Ability, their eyes begin to glow. It was faint, but I noticed his eyes glowing on few occasions."

Saitama blinked. He looked back at John, who was oblivious to their conversation, and then back at Genos with some scrutiny. "...okay, I think I get the part about him lying being a Cripple, but where'd the past part come in?"

Genos winced slightly, feeling shame rise in his chest as he bowed his head. "I...may have hacked into the school's records. John was expelled in his second year at New Bostin High School, on account of him violently assaulting most of his senior class members, several of which had to be hospitalized."

"Oooh. Ouch." the man said. With what Genos told him, he had a few ideas as to why John claimed that he was a Cripple and that he was home schooled. One idea was that he regretted kicking the crap out of his classmates and tried to forget about it. Another was that, like in Wellston, he was being bullied and reacted harshly. In either case, though, he obviously regretted his actions and tried hide the fact that he had an Ability.

The Demon Cyborg nodded slowly. "I'm ashamed that I invaded someone's privacy, not to mention do something unbefitting of a hero."

"Ah, don't beat yourself up over it." he told his disciple. "In any case, I feel bad for the kid. Guess now we know why his dad wrote UnOrdinary for him now."

"Indeed. It was likely to help him move past his trauma and reintegrate back into society." Genos agreed. He took another look behind him, finding William soon joining in on the fun, looking quite amused by the whole thing while playfully teasing his son. Watching the banter take place, Genos couldn't help but replace them with his own family. If he still had a heart, it would have twitched in pain and sorrow. Instead, his face showed the emotion, downcast before he turned away.

Noticing his expression, Saitama frowned in concern. "Are you okay, Genos?"

"I am fine, sensei. I was just remembering something." Genos lied smoothly, though he could tell Saitama wasn't so easily convinced. "Let's finish the dishes."

"...okay." Clearly, something was wrong with Genos. He didn't push it, but he would make it a point to try and see what was wrong with his student. In the meantime, however, he was finding the soon descending gloomy mood to be a bit much. "Hey, Genos."

"Hai, Sensei?"

"Since we're doing dishes and all...won't your hands get rusty?"

"Not to worry. My metal plating is water proof and tightly sealed. Water will not damage me." Genos assured after a moment, smiling.

Saitama grinned. _'There we go.'_

* * *

The next day, a father and his daughter were walking along when the girl suddenly stopped. The father almost hadn't noticed in time, as he was about to cross the street once the light had turned green. "Sweetie?" the father asked, kneeling down next to her. "What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"

"Daddy, what's that up there?" she asked, pointing up at the sky.

The father looked up and gasped. There was a crack hanging in the air, directly above Wellston City. It was massive, reaching maybe as far out as two kilometers. Stranger still, the cracked resembled some kind of eye that was slowly being opened. In the center, he could faintly make out something white pushing its way out. Had he not known any better, he would have said they were arms.

"What in the world...?"

* * *

"You're leaving today?" John asked his father, slightly surprised. "Why? Did work come calling back for you?"

"Yeah, unfortunately." William said with regret, rubbing the back of his head. "Duty calls, it seems. Sorry I have to leave you again on short notice. I really do wish I could have stayed longer."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just glad to see you again." the teen said happily. "Plus, you got to meet my friends."

"That I did." William grinned before he turned to Seraphina, Saitama and Genos. "He may be a handful, but please, take care of my son. He can be a bit troublesome at times."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

Much to his chagrin, everybody laughed at his expense. That didn't stop the grin from coming to his face. These past few days had been some of the best he's had since attending Wellston. He knew they wouldn't last forever, though. It was only a matter of time before someone tried to attack him again once they got fed up with Arlo's rules. In fact, he suspected it would be happening once Seraphina returned, with quite a lot of people demanding answers behind her suspension.

That was going to be fun.

The group followed William out the door, deciding that they would see him off. They exchange some farewells before William and John had said their pieces. Before the man left, however, he pulled John aside for a moment. "You do realize that, at some point, she is going to find out that you aren't a Cripple, right?" he told his son, much to his annoyance. They already had this talk yesterday when Seraphina had gone to bed. "For your sake, I hope she finds out from you."

"She isn't going to find out." John insisted with some fervor.

"John, from my experience, lies don't last forever." William said seriously. "But, if you're this adamant about keeping your Ability a secret, then at least tell her about New Bostin." John froze. Unpleasant memories were starting to crawl up the back of his mind, memories that had started coming back when Seraphina had left Wellston because of her suspension, but had been forced down when he ran into Genos and Saitama.

"That's..."

"I know it's painful, but they need to understand. If you keep this hidden from them, they could end up learning about it from wrong sources. You don't want that, now do you?" His knuckles turned white. He wanted to yell at his father, claiming that would never happen, but he bit his lip. Rather than trust his own voice, he shook his head. William noticed how frustrated and angry his son was, and with a grimace, he put his hands on his son's shoulders. "The past is the past, John. You aren't the King of that horrible school anymore. And you have genuine friends this time around."

"I know but..." he couldn't forget that day. Not those eyes.

 _'Monster.'_

John bit his lip. "At least give it some thought." William pleaded. John was silent at first, but slowly nodded. "Good. And while you're at it..." He leaned in a bit, grinning from ear to ear. "Hurry up and take that girl out for a date, will you? She's a keeper!"

His face exploded into scarlet. "YOU SHAMELESS OLD MAN!" he cried with a splutter. "HURRY UP AND LEAVE!"

"Alright, alright, I got it." William chuckled as he left. "See ya, John." With a wave, he left the group to themselves. Everyone watched him leave, eyes firmly planted on his retreating back before he vanished in the horizon. Having seen William off, the group made preparations to leave. Saitama had insisted that he go back to his apartment and tend to his plants, hoping that they hadn't been deprived of water yet. Genos, being the faithful student he was, also decided to go back with him, though he promised to shoot John and Seraphina a text later. By the time afternoon rolled around, it was only John and Seraphina at the house.

"Hey, John." Seraphina called suddenly with a smile. "How about we hit the town?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm just feeling a bit restless is all. Besides, Genos showed me that there was this new arcade game over by the Gamer's Center."

"You know, I really do regret getting you hooked into those."

* * *

Deep in the city, Rei and Remi were walking about, the latter holding an assortment of grocery bags. Finding life in the house to be a bit stuffy, and with a free day from his social job, he decided to go out for a bit of shopping.

"Seriously, Remi! I can walk by myself just fine." the green-haired man laughed, a little ashamed of himself that he had lost an argument with his younger sister of all people and that she was doing the heavy lifting instead of him. Wasn't it supposed to be the older sibling who was meant to pull weight around here? "And that includes the groceries."

"Oh no, mister. You knew the consequences of losing, so guess what?" Remi looked over her shoulder, shooting her brother a mock glare with a grin. "Your little sister handles the big boy shoes today!"

"You are impossible."

"Thank you~!"

Really, she was a handful. Rei wouldn't have it any other way. He was really glad to have a little sister like her around.

 _'I really do have to thank those two guys again.'_ Rei thought with a small smile. _'If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be able to see her again.'_ That had been a scary thought. Not being able to see Remi again. And worse, leaving her all alone. After everything that had happened with their parents, he had more or less taken it upon himself to be a surrogate parent to her. While he wouldn't say he did a stellar job, he liked to believe he had been decent.

The diminishing of his Abilities had, at first concerned him greatly. Now that had a month had gone by, however, he couldn't help but feel a bit happy. His Vigilante job had been taking up so much of his time, he never realized that he might have been distancing himself away from Remi, even if she knew what her brother was doing.

Really, who was the older sibling here again?

"So, what's next on your list?"

"Well..."

Rei found himself stopping abruptly, as did Remi. Strangely, they found themselves struggling a bit to breathe. The air felt sickly, almost suffocating. Their shoulders felt as if something had found a home on them and put all of its weight down on them. Rei found himself struggling to stand while Remi nearly collapsed to her knees.

"What..." Remi gasped. "What's going on?"

"H-hey! Look up there!" someone cried. "Look at that crack in the sky!"

Rei craned his neck, finding it difficult to move. There was a gigantic crack in the sky, something he had never noticed before. It was large, spanning almost the entire length of Wellston City. It was also shaped like an eye, with something white bulging out from the center. "The hell?" he growled, squinting. Then he found his face paling.

It was some kind of humanoid creature, bearing the physique of a human being, only it was clearly white with red veins. He couldn't quite make out its full form, but it was huge, even from this distance. He could also make out a horn, jutting out from the middle of its forehead. As it wrenched itself out from the crack, it raised its head, revealing blood crimson eyes. It's jaw shifted, lacking a mouth before a hole found itself ripping its away through flesh, revealing jagged rows of teeth.

In the next second, an inhumane roar shook the air. Windows promptly shattered to pieces, sending glass flying into the air. Parents shielded their children from the threat of having their eyes poked out. Everyone clasped their hands over their ears, trying to block out the dreadful sound that threatened to rupture their ear drums. A horrible ringing continued to haunt their ears.

With a final push, the albino creature pulled itself out from the crack, which soon closed in on itself, vanishing as if it was never there from the first place. Then it descended down to the ground. With panicked eyes, Rei pulled Remi to him and threw himself to the ground.

Then all hell broke loose, as soon as the monstrosity crashed into the ground. The earth trembled beneath its feet, cracks spreading out from he point of impact.

"WHERE IS HE?!" The being roared. "WHERE IS THE WRETCH WHO KILLED SHIGGURAH?!

* * *

Saitama sneezed something violent without warning, nearly tripping over his feet. "Are you alright, sensei?" Genos asked from the kitchen, preparing tonight's dinner. "Are you becoming sick?"

"No. I just get the feeling somebody is talking about me." he answered before he went to the balcony, water can in hand. When he stepped out unto the veranda, he saw smoke rising far out into the city. "...hey, Genos? Is there a BBQ scheduled this week out in the city?"

"Not to the best of my knowledge, no. Why? Is something the matter?"

"...huh. It's nothing."

* * *

The Gamer's Center was a mess. Machines were thrown all across the shop, some impaled into the walls while others were on their side, destroyed in the ensuing earthquake. The ceiling had even begun to partially collapse, make to the fear of everyone inside. John was on the ground, groaning in pain as he shoved a piece of rubble off his body. "Ow..." he winced as he stood up, shaking off the damage. "What the hell was that?"

"John!" Seraphina cried, rushing over to him, looking no worse for wear. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah..." he nodded slowly. "But what just happened? Did an earthquake hit or something?"

"How is that even possible? Wellston City isn't even sitting on a Fault Line!"

"Everyone run!" A random person screamed as they dashed past. This caused everyone to look on confused before they exited the arcade. When they did, they were greeted by a shocking and horrifying scene.

"W-what..." John choked. "What the hell is all this?!"

Buildings were decimated and in shambles. The streets were overturned and torn apart. All around were bleeding corpses.

To the right was a white, markless van that seemed to have been crushed in an iron grip before thrown. One could see the blood spilling out from its crumpled chassis. _(Note, this van belongs to EMBER and everyone who tried to ambush sera is dead.)_

Seraphina's face drained of blood, hand covering her mouth. She felt her stomach churn, threatening to remove its contents and greet her from her throat. "This..." she swallowed. "This couldn't have been done by an Ability user. Not even a natural disaster could've done this." An explosion rocked the ground, shaking everything and causing some of the ruined buildings to groan, shedding pieces of debris to the floor. Stacks of smoke quickly began to rise, fire burning within.

And with it, the unmistakable roars of a monster.

* * *

The last thing Arlo expected to find himself involved in was a battle against a giant monster that was screaming its head off like a lunatic. In all honesty, he would have fled with Blyke and Isen had he not found Rei on the ground, bleeding from his side and watching helplessly as Remi fought back against the monster with a fierce, angry expression on her face.

Before he realized it, he threw reason aside and joined in on the fray alongside his crimson-haired friend, throwing caution to the wind.

"Arlo!" Remi roared as she blitzed around, sparks dancing around her body like never before, aiming for the albino creature's head. "Keep him there!"

"Got it!" Arlo activated his ability and manifested a barrier around the monster. He then compressed the translucent sphere to keep the creature trapped.

The albino monster growled, bearing its fangs. "YOU THINK YOU CAN TRAP ME, YOU MISERABLE SPECK?!" it roared.

With a simple swipe of its claws, Arlo's barrier was destroyed, as if it was little more than glass. The blonde immediately felt the blacklash, coughing up blood while cuts formed along his body. Even so, he had bought even a moment of time, as Remi struck from behind, dive-bombing into the creature's head and knocking it down. Blyke's eyes narrowed, and without needing to be told, went to town and fired off as many energy blasts as he could possibly have mustered.

The beams of energy pelted the monster's body as it remained down. Dust and dirt kicked up from the impacts, creating a cloud that obscured the creature's body. Eventually, Blake stopped firing to observe the damage when the dust settled.

"Did we get it?" he asked, tense.

Seconds later, they had their answer when Remi was sent flying to their feet, bouncing off the ground before skidding to a stop as she managed to return to her feet. Looking up, she saw the albino creature rise, completely unharmed. A few patches of skin were torn off, but spidery sinews of black muscle were sewing up the damage quickly. "Impossible..." Arlo grimaced. "Not even a dent?!"

"PITIFUL FOOLS..." the monster snarled, glaring down at them. "YOU MAY HAVE BEEN BESTOWED POWER, BUT YOU NOT HOW TO USE IT! YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN GRANTED THE STRENGTHS THAT YOU NOW POSSESS!" Rising to its feet, it extended its arm. Its skin rippled along before reaching the hand, twisting it into a sharp blade, composed of steel and flesh and veins. "I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND! BEFORE I KILL THE HUMAN WHO DARED TO STRIKE DOWN SHIGGURAH, I WILL KILL YOU INSOLENT FOOLS!"

The teens panicked. They couldn't do anything to this monster and now it was going to kill them! "Isen!' Blyke shouted. "Have you found any weak points?!"

The orange haired teen had his power activated, but shook his head as he trembled. "...no...he has no weak point!"

"Shit!" Arlo cursed, getting up to his feet. "In that case, get Rei the hell out of here!"

"W-what?! Arlo, don't tell me you're going to try and fight this thing?!"

"We don't have a choice!" the King snapped as he glared back at the creature who decreed his death. "Besides, you heard what it said. Even if we run, it'll just come after us."

"Get big brother to safety!" Remi ordered the journalist, calling upon her power again. "We'll hold it off!"

This made the albino monster even more infuriated than before, anger flaring as murderous intent filled the air. "INSIGNIFICANT WHELPS! YOU THINK YOU STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME?! I, CRYX OF THE NINTH REALM OF LIMBO?! RULER OF ALL?!"

"Ah, zip it, overgrown ape!"

All heads turned to the newcomer's voice. All eyes widened upon seeing her, but Remi had an excited grin on her face. "Sera! You're back!"

Standing before them all was a very cross-looking Seraphina. And off to the side hiding behind a piece of rubble was John. The albino monster growled. "AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"Pissed off, that's what!" Seraphina snarled as her eyes glowed. Cryx snarled, prepared to begin its assault-

-only to find a heel striking its face, causing it to reel back. "WHA-"

Two. Four. Eight. Sixteen. Twenty-three. Several strikes, far too fast to count properly, began to force it back. Unknown to it, Seraphina was using her Ability, enhancing her strength and bringing time to a stop at intervals, delivering a flurry of strikes that would be impossible for it to track. With the hundred blow, Cryx was stumbling back, half of its face blown off.

"Remi! Blyke!" Seraphina shouted. "Now!"

"Right!" Both teens cried simultaneously. The red head shot a massive energy beam while the girl shot out many arcs of lightning from their hands. Both attacks hit their mark dead center. Skin continued to peel off, revealing what lay underneath. From the sidelines, both Arlo and John recoiled in disgust. Even the sticky, sinewy exposed muscle of a human being would be easier to look at, not what they were seeing before them. Bile was starting to rise up Arlo's throat, but he forced it down. When he saw Cryx about to move, he immediately raised a barrier and immediately shrunk it, forcing the creature to struggle, if only for a moment. He knew already that it could smash his barrier with ease. He only needed to keep it up for a second.

Remi, Blyke and Seraphina rushed in, going in from different sides. Once they were in position, Arlo dropped the barrier. Cryx acted in that moment, swinging its arm in defense, slicing apart buildings in a single stroke. The three students barely managed to evade it, their rhythm broken for a moment before the Ace of Wellston's eyes glowed, proceeding to use her Ability. Pushing herself, far more than she had ever done before, she dived headfirst into the fray and delivered a series of punches and kicks, not relenting in the least. She lost count of how many she landed before she pulled back and let time resume.

Cryx's sword shattered and its arm was destroyed, all the way to the bicep. Now utterly exposed, Remi and Blyke went back to work, bombing it with arcs of electricity and energy blasts. When it attempted to retaliate, Seraphina stopped time and halted its movements. Rinse, and repeat.

"Amazing..." John whispered, completely in awe. Arlo shared his sentiments, though the latter knew full well what they were all capable of. Especially if they could work together. "They're...beating it..."

With a combination of their abilities, they were gradually causing visible damage. Eventually, Cryx became so injured that it had no choice but to kneel. "It's on its last legs!" Blyke cried out. "Let's finish this!"

"Sera!" Remi called out as she dashed away, electricity sparking all around her. At this moment, even if it was only for a short time, her power had exceeded even that of her brother. The vigilante X-Static. "Let's end this!"

Seraphina nodded. Time came to a stop as she charged forward, intending on crippling Cryx long enough for the others to deliver the final blow.

Then a surprise came to her, as its red eyes, even in a moment locked in time, focused on her.

"BEGONE!"

A powerful shockwave threw her aside, shattering her focus. Time resumed, and the shockwave destroyed everything around Cryx, reducing even the ground beneath its feet to mere rubble. The buildings folded like paper, shattering into pieces. Remi and Blyke cried out as they found themselves being sent back. The former crashed into the ground, leaving a sizable crater beneath her still body. Blyke crashed into a building, going in straight through the windows and finding himself lodged into a small pile of rubble.

Seraphina, however, suffered a worse fate. Without warning, a series of blows struck her body, each crippling and breaking her body apart, piece by piece. She didn't even find the capacity to scream as she was being struck before the final blow struck her full on, sending her straight to Arlo and John, bouncing off the concrete and into a slab of earth.

Shocked, stricken with disbelief and terror, the two looked back to find Cryx, already healed and the veins on its body bulging. "HOW ANNOYING..." it scoffed with irritation. "A MERE HUMAN DARES STEP INTO THE DOMAIN OF TIME? INSOLENCE!"

"Dammit!" Arlo growled as he created a barrier around Cryx, stopping him as he approached. "John! Use your Abiity!"

"W-what?" John choked, looking at Arlo with wide eyes. "B-but I'm not-!"

Cryx scoffed and punched at the barrier, shattering it to pieces. Arlo coughed up blood, his abdomen suddenoy flaring with pain. He fell to his knees, cradling his body in his arms. It hurt to move. Just moving an inch caused his stomach to protest angrily. Looking up in spite of this, he found Cryx approaching casually. With a shaky arm, he tried to call on another barrier, pouring all of his strength into it.

"Is now really the time to be pretending to be a Cripple?!" he bit out with scorn. "Look at us! Look at Sera, for God's sake!" John did. He couldn't look away from the sight. It was horrible. This couldn't possibly be happening right now. This wasn't right. He couldn't see what happened to the others, but Sera... She was beaten. Broken. She was half-conscious half-dazed, eyes glazed over and likely reeling from the flurry of blows. "Whatever Ability you have, use it! Now isn't the time to be pretending to be something your not!"

Cryx growled. "I GROW TIRED OF THIS NUISANCE, WRETCH!" It threw another punch. The barrier shattered apart again. This time, Arlo vomited blood, falling to his side and smasming on the floor. Cryx approached again, flexing its claw, only to be interrupted with yet another barrier. "TCH!"

"Arlo, I..."

Arlo's throat hurt. It felt like it was on fire. Even so, he couldn't help but scream, even if caused him to hurt even more. He was just too angry with this idiot to care. "SERA WILL DIE IF YOU DON'T USE YOUR ABILITY DAMMIT!"

John froze from this declaration.

 _Sera...will die?_ She will die if he didn't do anything?

For that moment, the one memory that locked his power away shattered. His eyes glowed brightly.

"WEAK!" With one last punch, the barrier shattered for the final time. Unable to handle the backlash, Arlo's eyes rolled to the back of his head, falling unconscious. "HMPH. WORTHLESS INSECT." Cryx insulted Arlo before turning his attention to the still-dazed Seraphina. "YOU DARE CALL UPON POWERS THAT YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS WIELDING, FOOLISH MORTAL BRAT! FOR THIS INSULT...YOU WILL DIE A MOST TERRIBLE DEATH!"

Cryx raised its claw...

"GE THE FUCK AWAY FROM HERE!"

...and found its arm promptly being obliterated with blasts laced with electricity. With wide eyes, Cryx looked at John, just in time to feel time slow to a crawl and find itself bombarded with blasts at point-blank range. Cryx went back pedaling from the force of the attack, a large portion of its chest seared off. But the assault did not stop as a flurry of enhanced strikes pushed it back.

Each strike came at a different place, blowing off a good chunk of its body. Soon, more of its disgusting form beneath its layer of flesh was revealed.

John gritted his teeth, feeling his body reeling. It felt like he was on fire! _'I've never tried using four different abilities, all at once!'_ he thought, powering through the strain on his body as he dashed around, shooting off electrical-enhanced blasts of energy. A mix of Blyke and Remi's Abilities put together. _'My whole body's just screaming at me to stop. Even so...!'_

"I won't let you hurt Sera!"

* * *

"Man, that smoke's still going on." Saitama said with a heavy frown. "There a fire or something?"

"Perhaps." Genos shrugged. "However, I believe the fire department can handle it." That said, however, he couldn't help but feel that something was very wrong here. That tremor earlier...it didn't feel natural. Not how an earthquake should feel. If anything, it felt like something heavy had just landed upon the earth and caused a miniature shockwave, on the same level as an earthquake. Troubled, Genos looked at his teacher. "Sensei, can I turn on the news?"

"Sure."

Bowing his head gratefully, Genos grabbed the remote from the kitchen table and turned on the TV.

 _ **[-as-as you can see, Michael, we're flying right above the main street of Wellston Main Plaza, and it is madness down there! Everywhere, streets and buildings are destroyed and ruined! The damage is devastating and small fires have begun to break out across the area! Helpless civilians are fleeing, with the fire department and the police force trying to evacuate the escapees! B-but down below, there is some kind of monster wreaking havoc, fighting a group of brave students! It incapacitated several of them, and one brave boy is trying to stop the monster by himself!]**_

Silence reigned in the room. Genos stared at the screen for a moment before he looked at his Sensei, who was already gone from his usual spot. His casual clothes were discarded, showing him in his iconic suit, tugging at his gloves.

"Let's go, Genos!"

"Hai!"

* * *

"DAMNED HUMAN!" Cryx roared angrily, chasing after John as it destroyed anything around that it perceived as an obstacle. "HOLD STILL!"

"Not a chance!" John roared back, paying no mind to the fact that there was blood running down the side of his face, or that his leg had gone utterly numb. Bouncing off the side of a building, John's eyes glowed even brighter as he brought down a hailstorm of blasts down upon Cryx, forcing it to stumble. However, it only served to piss the creature off further, its back already regenerating before it whirled around, throwing a literal building at him. Using Seraphina's ability in tandem with Arlo, John braced the impact, feeling the barrier rip straight through the building. Blood spilled out from the corner of his mouth.

 _'Sera's Ability lets her stop time while enhancing her strength and healing factor. Using the latter with Arlo's, I can not only strengthen the barrier but repair it when it becomes damaged. Even so...my body can't take much more of this!'_

Narrowing his eyes as he landed back down on the ground, he found Cryx charging right at him. "I need to finish this now!"

"DIE!"

John braced himself, letting the strain burn right through him as he pushed his Ability to the absolute limit. He trapped Cryx in a barrier, reinforcing it to the point where he couldn't escape. Then he brought it down, just in time for him to use Seraphina's Ability, together with Remi and Blyke's merged. With reckless abandon, he threw electrified blast after electrified blast, pouring all of his strength into this final assault. Since his ability could enhance a base power, Cryx wouldn't be able to move around until he became adjusted to John's time stop, similar to what he did with Seraphina. Using this time, he continued to bombard him at every possible angle, darting around the ruined street of the plaza.

He threw one last blast of lightning when he felt his body burn unimaginably. He nearly fell to his knees, stumbling before he stomped forward, raising his head and canceled the time stop, raising the barrier around Cryx and trapping it inside with all of his blasts.

Then the confined space exploded, releasing blast after blast. John clutched his chest, struggling to keep the blast contained as he repaired the damage done to the barrier. Then, after a minute, the explosions subsided. Releasing his barrier, and allowing the smoke to rise, John gasped and breathed in pain, falling to his knee. He felt so tired. His body hurt so much. All he just wanted to do now was lie down and rest.

The smoke settled. Cryx's body stood before him, ruined and unrecognizable. John grinned at the sight, albeit poorly. "Finally..."

Staggering up to his feet, he turned back to where Arlo and Seraphina were, only to stop half-way when he found a now conscious Seraphina staring at him. Despite her wounds, she pulled herself up to try and keep fighting. She had already rewound a good portion of her wounds before she stopped as she saw her friend take out the monster. Her eyes were wide and her jaw hung open.

"John...how...how long have you had an ability?"

 _'Why did you lie to me?_ ' Went unsaid, but John already knew that's. what she'd say. He winced. Well, it was time to break the news...like his dad said.

He opened his mouth to deliver his answer, but a glob of blood came out instead of words as a sharp pain flared in his body. Both he and Seraphina looked down to see the large spike that stabbed him through his back and put his front.

"...IMPRESSIVE."

John felt a tug, then his body was flung upward. A shadow was cast over him. Before him, a smaller, more muscular and lean version of Cryx hovered before him, sharp tendrils extending out from it back. It no longer had a mouth, but it was still clearly capable of speech. In the center of its chest stood a crimson orb.

Before John could react, Cryx struck him without mercy. "TEN THOUSAND GOD FIST CANNON!" The monster's arms moved in a blur. John felt a multitude of crazy powerful hits strike his body all at once. He opened his mouth, but no scream came. In seconds, he felt whatever will he had left be blown away. Then he fell like a comet to the earth, bouncing off the concrete and leaving behind craters with each flop before he slid at Seraphina's feet, clothes torn and now marred in blood.

"JOHN!" Seraphina cried, rushing over to her friend. She pulled him up to her. His eyes were glazed over. There was blood leaking from the side of his head and from his mouth. "John?! John, answer me!"

 _'S-shit...'_ John thought, groaning. If it was possible...the pain was even worse than before. It felt like every bone in his body had been completely destroyed and reduced to dust. _'I'm...completely burned out. I can't...use my Ability anymore.'_

"I HAVE NOT MET A CREATURE CAPABLE OF MAKING ME REVEAL MY TRUE FORM, LET ALONE AS SOMETHING AS INCONSEQUENTIAL AS A MERE SPECK OF DUST." Cryx spoke, folding its arms as it landed on the ground. "FOR THAT, WORM, YOU HAVE MY BEGRUDGING RESPECT."

"N...no way..." Remi got out as she pulled herself out of the crater, limping and cradling an arm. "All this time...he was...?"

"Even with all our Abilities..." Blyke looked down at the battlefield, having managed to regain consciousness in time to see John what he thought may have been the final blow, only to see that Cryx was still standing. And apparently, stronger than before. "He still couldn't defeat it...?!"

Arlo looked up pitifully. He was no longer in any condition to fight, let alone use his Ability. "Dammit... Is this how...everything ends?" he asked weakly before he shut his eyes, tears falling from his face. "Shit... shit! Shit shit shit!"

"NOW..." With a hand raised, the blades on Cryx's back became poised. They extended and grew in number, soon becoming hundred of sharp blades, all ready to kill her. "DIE."

Seraphina looked on, despair overcoming her. As the blades descended down, she shut her eyes and pulled herself over John, not willing to see the end.

...but the end never came to her.

 **[Insert Song Here: JAM Project - The Hero]**

"...huh?"

Daring to open her eyes, Seraphina saw not blades all aimed at her and hers and John's bodies reduced to pincushions. Instead, all she saw was a familiar plain face, smiling down at her while wearing what was arguably the most corny hero-like costume she had ever seen. "Hey, Sera." Saitama greeted plainly. "What's up?"

"S...Saitama...?" Sera whispered in disbelief and joy, tears stinging at her eyes. She then realized that she was on the ground with John lying next to her, propped up against her lap. Beside Saitama was Genos, his metal arms exposed to all the world.

Cryx looked at the spot where it should have killed the two humans, and slowly turned its head to Saitama. "YOU...YOU ARE THE ONE WHO KILLED SHIGGURAH." it spoke, anger in its voice. "THE ONE WHO FELLED VACCINE MAN IN BUT A SINGLE BLOW."

"Sensei." Genos spoke with an edge in his voice, turning his arms into cannons. "Let me fight him."

"No." Saitama said bluntly. "I'll take care of this." Genos, shocked, turned to his teacher in surprise, but then bowed his head in compliance and stepped aside. "I feel like I owe him for hurting my friends and Remi."

"W-what?!" Sera immedaietly panicked. Was Saitama insane?! "Saitama, don't! You can't beat him! None of us could, and we're, we're all high-tiers! You can't beat him!"

Saitama didn't heed her. Instead, he calmly approached Cryx, who glared at him with untold and unbridled anger. When he was close enough to the albino creature, Cryx released a wave of killing intent that made everyone present, sans Genos and Saitama, suffocate. "YOU... WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO DEFY THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE?! WHO ARE YOU TO DARE REBEL AGAINST THE ORDER OF FATE?! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU LOWLY WORM?! ANSWER ME!"

"My name's Saitama." the former bald hero answered as he crossed his arms. "And I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun!"

Silence reigned in the area. Remi, Blyke and Arlo looked at Saitama with large eyes, completely stricken. His words, while silly, were delivered in such seriousness that, for a moment, they actually believed him.

Cryx, however, looked positively pissed.

"YOU MOCK ME, YOU FOOLISH CREATURE?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I AM CRYX, RULER OF THE REALM IN-BETWEEN! I AM A GOD, YOU PUNY MORTAL! I HAVE SUPERVISED COUNTLESS WORLDS, OBSERVING THE HUMAN RACE, ONLY TO FIND THEM FULL OF HUBRIS! LOOK AT THIS WORLD! THEY WERE GIVEN A GIFT, BUT THEY SQUANDER IT WITH THEIR ARROGANCE, TORMENTING THOSE THAT THEY DEEM WEAKER THAN THEMSELVES! ONCE, MY KIND HELD YOU MISERABLE CREATURES IN HIGH REGARD, BUT NOW I SEE THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE! YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE GIVEN THE POWERS YOU NOW HOLD! YOU DO NOT DESERVE THESE GIFTS! YOU ARE AN ABBERATION! AN EXISTENCE THAT WILL BE CORRECTED! AN ERROR THAT SHALL BE ERASED FROM THE UNIVERSE!

I WILL DESTROY THIS WORLD! AND THEN I WILL DESTROY OTHER WORLDS! HUMANITY DOES NOT DESERVE OUR FAVOR! YOU HAVE GROWN FAR TOO ARROGANT! TIME AND TIME AGAIN, WHEN YOU ARE GIVEN A GIFT, YOU PERVERT IT FOR YOUR OWN USES! IT IS TIME YOU OWN UP TO YOUR SINS! I AM YOUR JUDGE! I AM YOUR BETTER! I AM CRYX, GOD OF SPACE TIME!

SAITAMA! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE! VENGEANCE OF SHIGGURAH-!"

Saitama, with eyebrow twitching, clenched his fist and threw a punch, striking Cryx dead center in the chest, knuckles knocking against the core. In a second, Cryx's body exploded, reduced to mere fleshy giblits that splattered all across the pavement. The core that was in the center of his chest was pulverized, reduced to mere dust that scattered in the wind. Half of Cryx's face bounced off the concrete before it rolled into an open sewage drain, falling into the sewers to become food for the rats and other creatures.

All eyes were now on Saitama. Seraphina looked at him, utterly gobsmacked with jaw hanging open in disbelief. John, who was barely conscious, stared at his friend in disbelief. Blyke and Arlo shared the same expression, as if unable to believe what they saw. Genos was beaming, clapping his hands for Saitama's victory. Remi was utterly star-struck, stars in her eyes as she stared at Saitama in a brand new light.

"One hit..." she breathed in reverance as if she was standing before the great Buddha. "He took it down...in one hit! He's no Cripple at all! He's a high-tier! No, a God-tier! NO! He's even higher than that!"

 _'No... That wasn't an ability at all!'_ John wanted to refute, but his body was too tired to do so. Instead, all he could do was roar in his mind in utter disbelief and shock, unable to understand what had just happened. _'That was...nothing but raw physical strength! But that's impossible! There's no way a Cripple can have that kind of strength!'_

And yet, the proof was here. Standing right before him. John remembered Saitama's earlier words about being a hero for fun. He couldn't help but remember the premise of UnOrdinary: the story of a man who stood above all others, possessing incredible power but using it for the sake of others.

At this moment, he couldn't help but envision Saitama as that main character. The hero of that novel.

A man who stood above them all.

As for the hero for fun himself, his eyes were overshadowed by his bangs as he lowered his fist, staring at his hand. _'Up until now, I always just knocked out guys who were being dicks. I unconsciously held back because they were human, but I thought that, just maybe, my strength had gone down.'_ he thought as his shoulders trembled, tightening his fist to the point it began to shake. _'I thought that, maybe, that guy could survive a hit or two. This was my first real fight in this world...and that wasn't even my strongest punch. Just a hit. And even still...!'_

"Even here..." Saitama sobbed as tears ran down his face, falling to his knees. "One punch?!" He reared his head back, and let out an anguished cry that could be heard all across the planet.

 _ **"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"**_

* * *

 _...this event, which would come to be labeled as the White Devil Day, was regarded as a city-wide destructive incident of significant importance._

 _Many lives were lost, and the damage done to the city was almost incomprehensible. However, the live footage of those brave young students from Wellston High School, as well as the appearance of the so-called "Hero for Fun" had sparked a surge of vigilantes that had never been seen before in history, since the publication of UnOrdinary._

 _All across the country, and even the world, vigilantes began to appear in droves, finding themselves once again inspired by the actions of these brave youths. It is also been reported that the banned book, UnOrdinary, had once again found itself in the hands of the populace by unknown circumstances. Some believe that someone had once again began publication of William H. Doe's work and began distributing it all across the globe._

 _Despite EMBER's best attempts, the appearance of so many vigilantes, now publicly regarded as Heroes, could not be stopped nor discouraged. Eventually, the mysterious organization was rendered defunct and dismantled._

 _People would later come to call this time as the Golden Age. For the first time, no matter what tier a person belonged to, they had found a place in society worth contributing to._

 _Cryx's appearance would not be the first time a monster would suddenly appear. Cracks had begun opening all across the world, which eventually led the government forming their own private organization, which organized every active Hero, effectively becoming this world's version of the Hero Association._

 _And as for the story of Saitama and Genos, well..._

 _...that is a story for another day_

* * *

 **THE END...?**

* * *

SP: Okay, let me just say this: you have absolutely NO IDEA how much fun this was to write. Mixing together the world of UnOrdinary with the oddity that was Saitama was just too much to pass up! Think about it, here is a man who has no powers! Just raw physical strength, cranked up to unheard of levels, and as far as that world is concerned, he is a CRIPPLE. A CRIPPLE! Really, writing this was just an absolute blast. And as much as I want to make an actual series out of it, I decided to settle for a one-shot, so that, maybe other people can experience and write out their own version of this story.

SP: How about you, Daemon? How much fun was it be writing this glorious masterpiece?

DoW: I thought it was absolutely amazing and hilarious. Thanks to Saitama and Genos' presence, we actually diverted most canonical events of UnOridnary. And if you UnOrdinary readers are wondering, yes, that white van that was mentioned were the very same ones who attacked Seraphina. I just put that in as a form of karma for what they were about to do. And SP was right. The very notion of a 'powerless' individual, easily being the strongest in this world was too good to pass up. Hope you all enjoyed it.

SP: Damn fucking straight! However... I do have a little bit of bad news. I am utterly EXHAUSTED from writing so much. I'm a little burned out, so I'll be taking a break from fanfiction. I will be responding to PM's, however. Plus, the next college semester is rolling around the corner for me, so I gotta be prepared.

SP: Peace out, you guys! I hope to see you all soon! Give us some reviews and tell us both what you thought about this very long and very entertaining story! Also, if by some miracle this gets the attention of Uru-chan, which I highly doubt, consider this a little thank you for creating what has been one of the most enjoyable stories I've seen in a very long time! Really, I hope it becomes an animated series one of these days!

 ** _PEACE OUT EVERYBODY!_**


End file.
